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Book. 7?^^ 



Copigtol^l 



CJQEXRIGHT DEPOSm 



^ 



THE TRAVELS 



OF 



MARCO POLO 



BOYS AND GIRLS 



With Explanatory Notes and Comments 



BY 



THOMAS W. KNOX 



AUTHOR OF "the BOY TRAVELLERS IN THE FAR EAST," FIVE VOLS.; " THE YOUNG NIMRODS," TWO VOLS.; " THE 

VOYAGE OF THE VIVIAN," "OVERLAND THROUGH ASIA," " BACKSHEESH," |" UNDERGROUND," " JOHN," 

"camp-fire and COTTON-FIELD," " THE POCKET GUIDE AROUND THE WORLD," ETC., ETC. 



FULLY LLLUSTRATED 




NEW YORK & LONDON 

G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS 
1885 



COPYRIGHT BY 

G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS 

1885 






Press of 

G. P. Putnam's Sons 

New York 



PREFACE. 




To the student of geography Marco Polo needs no introduc- 
tion. He is revered as the greatest of all travellers in the Middle 
Ages, and, by more than one careful geographer, his work is be- 
lieved to have led to the discovery of the New World by the Hardy 
Mariner of Genoa. Before his time no explorer from Europe 
had traversed the entire longitude of Asia, and given a list of its 
Empires and Kingdoms in the order in which they lay along his 
route. He was the first traveller who told us of the Steppes of 
Central Asia, the Mountains and Rivers of Cathay, the plateau 
of *' The Roof of the World," and the Desert Plains of Mongolia. 
He was the first to give us a detailed description of the people 
of China, the pomp and splendor of the Court of Kublai Khan, 
the wonders of the Indian Archipelago, the tropical luxuriance 
of Java and Sumatra, and the strange productions of Siam and 
Laos, of Burmah and Cochin-China, and the far-ofT Islands of 
Madagascar and Zanzibar. 

It was from Marco Polo that Europe first learned of the 
existence of Japan, and from him, too, it derived its first knowl- 
edge of the Land of Darkness in the Far North, and of the 
Arctic Ocean beyond. His description ranges from Siberia to 
Ceylon, and from the Adriatic Sea to the Pacific Ocean. The 
story of his travels was received with incredulity, and he died 
while Europe was gravely doubting its truth. It has remained 
for later generations to establish the correctness of his narrative 
and accord him the praise he so richly deserves. 

In preparing this volume for the press, the writer has exer- 
cised the greatest care In endeavoring to adapt it for the youthful 
reader. He has followed as closely as possible the original text ; 



iv PREFACE. 

he has retained many pages entirely unchanged, and the boys 
and girls who read the book may imagine that they are listening 
tq the Famous Venetian as he dictates his story to his Fellow 
Captive in the gloomy Prison of Genoa. Where the narrative is 
tedious, as in the story of the Tartar Wars, it has been abridged, 
and where the accounts of manners and customs are not in har- 
mony with the taste of our times, they have been omitted. 
Happily the instances of this kind are few, and the Story of 
Marco Polo is presented with very slight reduction or alteration. 

Various plans were considered for the arrangement of the 
needed notes of explanation and comment, and for exhibiting 
the changes, or absence of change, in the Countries of the East 
during the six Centuries that have elapsed since Polo's Travels. 
After much deliberation the '' Young Folks' Reading and Geo- 
graphical Society " was organized, and the hope is entertained 
that its work will receive the reader's approval. 

Especial acknowledgement is due to Colonel Henry Yule, 
whose admirable edition of '' The Book of Ser Marco Polo" has 
been made the basis of the present volume. His notes have 
been freely used, and in some cases their language is adopted 
without quotation marks. His work is unquestionably the best 
of all the many editions of Marco Polo's Travels, and those who 
wish the story in greater detail than it is here given, should pro- 
cure his two portly and finely printed volumes. 

Many of the illustrations are reproduced from Colonel Yule's 
work. Others have been taken from the books named herewith, 
or drawn from photographs and sketches, both native and 
foreign. The care exercised with the text has been extended to 
all the illustrations without regard to their origin. 

Scores of books have been examined during the preparation 
of this story for boys and girls, and their contents have furnished 
material for the remarks of Fred Bronson and other members of 
the Society. Prominent among these works may be mentioned 
the following : 

Vambery's '* Travels in Central Asia" ; Buckingham's 



PREFACE, V 

" Travels in Mesopotamia"; Keane's ''Compendium of Asia"; 
Gilmour s *' Among the Mongols " ; Stack's '' Six Months in 
Persia " ; Bird's '' Unbeaten Tracks in Japan" and '' The Golden 
Chersonese " ; Atkinson's '' Oriental and Western Siberia " and 
"Travels on theAmoor"; Mrs. Atkinson's ''Recollections of 
Tartar Steppes"; Fortune's "Wanderings in China," "Resi- 
dence in China," and " Travels in the Tea-Districts of China 
and India"; Mouhot's "Travels in Indo-China, Cambodia, and 
Laos"; Williams' "Middle Kingdom"; Oppert's "Forbidden 
Land " ; and Gill's " River of Golden Sand." 

The writer has also availed himself of information obtained 
in the journeys he has made through Asia, and his visits to 
Cities and Countries embraced in Polo's narrative. His fondest 
wishes will be gratified if the " Travels of Marco Polo " should 
meet the kindly reception accorded to " The Boy Travellers in 
the Far East." 

T. W. K. 
New York, April, 1885. 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER I. 



PAGE 



The Young Folks' Reading and Geographical Society ; How and for What it was Formed 
— Marco Polo and His Book — History of the Great Venetian Traveller — How He 
Established His Identity on His Return — A Book Written in Prison ; Its Geographical 
Value ........... I 

CHAPTER H. 

Prologue to the Book — Travels of Marco's Father and Uncle — ^Journey to the Court of 
Kublai Khan — Interview with His Majesty — The Sojourn in Cathay — Returning after 
a Long Absence — Oriental Receptions . . . . . . -19 

CHAPTER HI. 

Marco Polo's Geographical Descriptions — Hermenia, Turcomania, Georgiania, Mausul and 
Baudas — Strange Stories Concerning Those Countries — How a Great Miracle Was 
Wrought ........... 41 

CHAPTER IV. 

Persia and Its Divisions — Provinces and Cities, Ancient and Modern — The Parsees and 
Their Worship of Fire — How Persia Is Governed — Corruption of Officials — Stories of 
Enchantments — Dry Fogs and Dust-Storms — Oxen Trained to Trot . . .66 

CHAPTER V. 

The Plain of Formosa — Hormos — Effects of the Simoom — Destruction of an Army by the 
Wind from the Desert — Countries of Northern and Eastern Persia — Comparison of 
Polo's Route with that of a Modern Traveller — The Great Heat of Persia — Fable about 
the Porcupine — The Old Man of the Mountain. . . . . .86 

CHAPTER VI. 

In Central Asia — Badakshan, Cashmere, Kashgar, Samarcand, and "The Roof of the 
World " — The Ovis Poll — Account of a Miracle — Phenomena of High Altitudes — 
Bolar and Kashgar — Samarcand — Vambery's Travels — How an Asiatic Prince Was 
Deceived .......... no 

CHAPTER VII. 

Khotan, Yarkand, and the Great Desert of Gobi — Fables about Cotton and the Voices of 
the Desert — Buddhist Customs — Burning the Dead — Colossal Idols of Buddha — 
Asbestos Mines — Cloth Uninjured by Fire — Prester John — An Historical Myth . 133 



viii CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

PAGE 

Genghis Khan — His Career and Conquests — Battle between Him and Prester John — 
Customs of the Tartars in War and Peace — Their Military Organization — Kumiss and 
How It Is Made — Dried Milk Among the Tartars — " Travellers' Tales " . . 155 

CHAPTER IX. 

Tartar Customs — Administering Justice — Dead Persons Married to Each Other — The 
Country North of Tartary — Beasts and Birds — Summer Palaces of the Emperors — Uses 
of the Bamboo — Wonderful Tricks of Conjurors — Comparison between Tartar and 
Indian Jugglers — A Chinese Knife-Thrower — Mongol Lamisaries. . . -174 

CHAPTER X. 

Kublai Khan and How He Went to Battle — Tartar Mode of Warfare — Elephants Used 
on the Battle-Field — A Doubtful Narrative — Court and Capital of the Emperor — 
Cambaluc, the Ancient Peking — Early Uses of the Umbrella — Its First Appearance in 
England ........... 198 

CHAPTER XI. 

Dr. Allen's Story — Description of Peking as It Appears To-Day — Comparisons of the Old 
and New Cities — Kublai Khan's Court and Ceremonies — The City of Cambaluc and 
Its Modern Successor — New Year's Day or the " White Feast " — The Khan's Liberality 
and How It Was Returned — An Imperial Banquet. . . . . . 219 

CHAPTER XII. 

Kublai Khan's Hunting Expeditions — Chinese Game Laws in the Twelfth Century — 
Imperial Sport on a Grand Scale — Further Description of Cambaluc — How Kublai 
Made Money of the Bark of Trees — Shrewd Methods of Business — A Chinese Bank- 
Note of the Ming Dynasty ........ 241 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Kublai's Form of Government — His Council of State — Posting System Established by the 

Great Khan — Coal Mines in China — Astrology and Religion .... 263 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Departure from Cambaluc — Journey through Cathay — Shansi, Szechwan, and Thibet — 
Interesting Descriptions of Strange People — Salt as a Circulating Medium — Thibetan 
Prayer-Mills .......... 285 

CHAPTER XV. 

Caindu and Its Wonders — Yunnan and Its Modern Condition — " People of Gold-Teeth " — 
A Wonderful Serpent — The Kingdom of Mien — Bangala — Curious Belief about the 
Spirits of the Dead — White Elephants at Mandalay — " The Great Shoay Dagon " . 310 



1 



CONTENTS. ix 

CHAPTER XVI. 

PAGE 

Various Provinces and Cities of China — Neighboring Countries — The Conquest of Manzi — 
Manners and Customs — "Baron Hundred-Eyes" — Exposure of Infants in China — 
Identity of Cities Described by Polo — An American Anecdote . . . -335 

CHAPTER XVII. 

The Yang-tse-Kiang and Cities along its Banks — Navigation of the Great River of China — 
Enormous Fleets of Boats — Artillery before the Invention of Gunpowder^ — Various 
Machines for Hurling Stones and Other Projectiles — The Great City of Kinsay — An 
Animated Picture — The Capital of Southern China Six Centuries Ago . . . 361 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

More about Kinsay — Southern China — Foochow and Other Cities — The Tea Districts of 
Fokien — How Tea Is Transported — The City and Great Haven of Zayton — Pidgin 
English — Translation of a Well-Known Rhyme — End of Book Second , . 384 

CHAPTER XIX. 

Chinese Ships in the Thirteenth Century — Polo's Description of Japan, and of Kublai's 
Attempt to Conquer It — Cochin China, Java, and Siam ; Products of Those Countries 
— A King with a Numerous Family — Incorrect Statements about Java — Siam's Enlight- 
ened Ruler ........ . . 408 

CHAPTER XX. 

The Malay Peninsula — Sumatra — Island of the Dog-Headed Men — Strange Customs — 
Description of Ceylon — Abundance of Precious Stones — Adam's Peak — Story and Relics 
of Buddha — How the Great Khan Obtained Them — Teeth of Buddha at Kandy and 
Foochow . . . . . . - . . . . 432 

t 

CHAPTER XXI. 

The Pearl Fisheries of Ceylon — The Province of Maabar — Southern India — Saint Thomas 

— Manners and Customs in India — Diamond Mines of Golconda — The Koh-i-noor . 455 

CHAPTER XXII. 

Caste in India — The Brahmans — Effect of Railway Travel on Caste Distinctions — Cities 
and Provinces in Polo's day — Lar, Eli, and Malabar — East Indian Pirates — Guzerat 
and Its Cities — Ambergris : Its Character and Origin ..... 478 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

Madagascar and Zanzibar — The Gigantic Bird of Antiquity, the Roc — Discovery of a Roc's 
Skeleton in New Zealand — Description of Africa — Aden, Esher, and Dufur — How 
Frankincense Is Obtained ......•• 499 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

The Exploits of King Caidu's Daughter — King Conchi and His Dominions — Siberia — 
Travelling with Dogs — The Land of Darkness — Russia and Its Tartar Conquerors — 
Conclusion .......... 5^8 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



PAGE 

Marco Polo . Frontispiece 

Arms of the Polo Family i 

The Doctor Abroad 3 

Mongol Pipe and Pouch in Dr. Allen's Collection . . . . . 4 

Marco Polo's Galley Going into Battle 5 

Portrait of Marco Polo, from the First Printed Edition of His Book . 7 

Door- Way of Marco Polo's House in the Corte Sabbionera at Venice . 13 

Washing the Hands before Dinner 17 

The Castle of Soldaia 21 

The Ruins of Bolghar 23 

Camp Scene in Bokhara .......... 24 

The Great Khan Delivering the Tablet of Gold to the Brothers . . 26 

Portrait of Pope Gegory X 28 

The Castle of Ayas 29 

Tartar Mandarin and Attendant 30 

Ancient Chinese War Vessels 34 

A Group of Chinese Ladies 35 

Manner of Approaching an Oriental Prince 37 

An Oriental Tablet (Showing Both Sides) 39 

A City of Armenia . 42 

A Village in Turcomania 43 

Turcomans Plundering a Caravan 44 

A Georgianian Fortress. (From a Drawing Dated 1634) . . .46 

The Castle of Baiburt .......... 48 

View of Derbend . . 49 

View in a Bazaar at Mosool . . 52 

Bridge of Boats over the Tigris at Mosool 53 

Bridge of Boats and Coffee-House at Bagdad 54 

Banks of the Tigris above Bagdad 55 

One of the Gates of Bagdad 57 

Tower of Nimrod, the Mighty Hunter 60 

Tomb of Zobeida, Wife of Haroun al Raschid 61 

Ruins of Babylon 62 

xi 



xii LIST OF ILL USTRA TIONS. 

PAGE 

Tower of Babel and Plain of Shinar 62, 

Door-Way of a Ruined Mosque at Tabreez 67 

Persian Lady in Walking Dress . . . . ... . . 67 

Persian Lady at Home 68 

Entrance to a Persian City ......... 69 

Parsee Lady and Boy . ; . . . . . . . . 72 

Halt of a Caravan 73 

Manner of Making Embroidery . 75 

Scene in Southern Persia 76 

A Robber Chief -77 

Attack in a Mountain Pass 78 

View in Kandahar 79 

Mountain Scene in Persia .80 

Embroidery with Figures of Animals . . ... . .82 

Humped Oxen from an Assyrian Sculpture ...... 83 

Portrait of a Hazara 84 

Merchants and Camels at a Wayside Fountain ...... 87 

A Sand Storm in the Desert 88 

On the Desert 90 

Chinar or Oriental Plane-Tree 91 

Encampment in a Valley near Kerman ....... 95 

Sand Pillars during a Simoom . . . . . . . . -97 

An Eastern Funeral Procession with Hired Mourners . . . .98 

Alexander the Great Worshipping the Arbre Sol 99 

Scene in an Oriental Garden . .101 

Caravan Passing through a City 103 

Agha Khan Mehetali, Present Successor of the Old Man of the Mountain 106 

A Walled Town in Persia 107 

Camp Scene in Badakshan . . . m 

A Flock of Mountain Sheep 112 

Ancient Silver Dish of Debased Greek Art 113 

A Lady of Cashmere with Her Attendant .114 

Ancient Buddhist Temple at Pandrethan in Cashmere . . . .115 

A Robbers' Raid — Attacking a Camp at Night 116 

Passing a Gorge in the Mountains 117 

In-Door Dress of an Egyptian Lady 119 

Out-Door Dress of an Egyptian Lady 120 

Mongol Image of Buddha . . . 122 

6>77V P^//, the Great Sheep of Pamier 124 

Head of a Native of Kashgar ... 125 

View of Kashgar 126 

The Roof of the World 128 



LIST OF ILL USTRA TIONS. xiii 

PAGE 

Horns of the Ovis Poli . . . . . . . . , .129 

View of Samarcand . . . . . . . . . . .131 

Entrance to a Mine of Jasper 135 

Caravan Overtaken by a Storm in the Desert . . . . . .136 

Burning the Dead 138 

Modern Travellers in the Desert of Gobi . '. . . . .141 

Buddhist Idols in a Chinese Temple 142 

A Chinese Funeral 143 

Roadside Temple in Northern China ....... 147 

Grand Lama Monastery 148 

A Town in an Oasis 150 

Siamese Temple of Buddha , . . . . . . . .152 

Head of Colossal Buddha 153 

Wild Ass of Mongolia .......... 154 

Tartar Girls 156 

A Chinese Fortune-Teller .......... 160 

Framework of an Asiatic Tent . . . . • . , . .162 

The Tent Completed ........... 162 

Interior of a Tent 163 

Khivan Tartars Returning from a Raid. Receiving Payment for Heads 

of Victims . . . . . . . . . . . .164 

A Tartar Prince Entering a City 167 

Mediaeval Tartar Huts and Wagons 168 

A Mongol Camp. (From a Native Drawing) . . . . . .169 

Mongol Cart Drawn by Two Horses. (From a Native Sketch) . .170 

Tartar Horse-Race — Pursuit of a Bride 171 

Tartar Idols and Kumiss Churn . . . . . . . .172 

Group of Kirghiz with Kumiss Bottle and Bowl 173 

Tartar Soldier of Western China . . . . . . . .174 

A Chinese Marriage Procession 175 

In the Country of Bargu . . . . . . . . . .176 

A Chinese Lady 181 

Sand Grouse 182 

A Chinese Pheasant . . . . . . . . . . -183 

Great Wall of China — The Rampart of Gog and Magog . . . .184 

View of the Great Wall Where the Lines Are Double .... 185 

Pavilion at Yuen-min-Yuen . . . . . . . . .187 

Catching Horses in Tartary. (From a Native Sketch) . . . .189 

A Thibetan Bacsi 191 

Pagoda and Gardens of the Emperor's Summer Palace, Yuen-min-Yuen . 193 

Chinese Conjuring Extraordinary 195 

A Monastery of Lamas . . . . . , . . . .196 



xiv LIST OF ILL USTRA TIONS. 

PAGE 

Conventional Portrait of the Great Monarch 199 

Mongol Inscription on Stone of Ancient Date .201 

Nacaras from an Indian Original ........ 203 

A Tartar Prince at Home .......... 205 

A Caravan of Elephants Crossing a Mountain Stream .... 206 

Nacaras from a Chinese Original 207 

Heading, in the Old Chinese Seal Character, of an Inscription on a 
Memorial Raised by Kublai Khan to a Buddhist Ecclesiastic in the 
Vicinity of His Summer Palace at Shangtu in Mongolia . . . 208 
Portrait of Kublai Khan. (From a Chinese Drawing) . . . .211 
Sculptured Gerfalcon from the Gate of Iconium . . . . .212 

West Gate of Peking 213 

Distant View of the Green Mount as It Now Is . . * . . -215 
Vase from the Khan's Palace . . . . . . . . .216 

Practical Use of the Umbrella . 217 

A Ferry near Peking , . . 220 

Peking Ladies Taking the Air . . .. . . . . .221 

Temple of Heaven at Peking 223 

Mule Litter for Mountain Travelling . . . . . . .22^ 

Walls of Peking . . . . 227 

Vase from the Emperor's Palace . . . . • . . . .229 

Lama of High Rank 231 

Scene in a Chinese Garden 232 

Yellow Temple at Peking . . . 234 

The Royal Elephants Taking Their Bath . . . . . . .235 

A Chair of State 238 

A Hunting Leopard 242 

Starting for a Hunt ........... 243 

Eagle Killing a Deer ........... 244 

Riding in a Camel Litter 245 

The Emperor's Hunting Tents 247 

Archway Erected under the Mongol Dynasty 248 

Wild Asses in the Mongolian Desert 250 

An Asiatic Hunting Scene 252 

Fight between Eagles and Wolves ........ 254 

Interior of an Oriental Caravansary 255 

Japanese God of Wealth 258 

Chinese Scales for Weighing Silver 2^0 

Plain of Cambaluc ; the City in the Distance From the Hills on the 

Northwest 264 

A Japanese Runner . . . „ . . . . . . . 265 

Ready for the Road „ . . 267 



LIST OF ILL USTRA TIONS. xv 

PAGE 

A Siberian Courier . 269 

Summer Travel in Siberia 271 

Japanese Roadside Station. Mt. Fusiyama in Background . . . 273 

Chinese Wine Bottles 275 

Court of Imperial Observatory, Peking. Astrolabe in the Foreground . 277 
Harbor of Kelung, China, Where Coal Mines Are Operated . . .279 

Colossal Figure of Buddha . 280 

Gamblers Fighting Crickets 282 

Buddhist Monks at the Door of a Monastery 283 

The Bridge of Pulisanghin. (From a Chinese Drawing) . . . .286 

Shop in a Chinese City 287 

Foot-Bridge over a Chinese Canal 289 

Portrait of the Golden King . . .291 

Scene on the Hoang-Ho .......... 293 

A Japanese Jinrikisha . . . . 295 

Cross on Stone Found at Singanfu. (Reduced) ..... 296 

Perilous Road through a Rocky Defile ....... 299 

View in the Man-tzu Country ......... 301 

Mountaineers on the Borders of Szechwan ...... 303 

A Village of Eastern Thibet 305 

A Mountain Road in Thibet . 306 

Father Desgodins, a French Missionary in Thibet 307 

Thibetan Objects ........... 308 

Salt Works in Western China ......... 309 

Valley of the River of Golden Sand 311 

Garden-House on the Lake at Yunnan-fu (the Yachi of Polo) . . .313 

Head of One of Polo's Serpents 315 

Captain William Gill, Explorer of Yunnan 317 

Rope Bridge over a Valley 318 

Gorge on the Chin-Sha-Kiang ... . . . . . . 319 

Northern End of Lake Talifu . . . 321 

Hill Tribes of Yunnan. (From a Chinese Drawing) .... 324 

Inhabitants of Western Yunnan . . . . . . . . 326 

Tattooed Female Hand . 327 

Dancing Dervishes at Bokhara ......... 328 

Road from Yunnan to the Valley of the Chin-Sha-Kiang .... 329 

Palace of the King of Burmah, at Mandalay ^^$ 

Oriental Dwelling-House .......... 334 

Iron Suspension Bridge in the Cuiju Mountains ..... 337 

Girls of Laos ............ 339 

People of Coloman. (From a Chinese Drawing) ..... 341 

Fortified Village in Kweichau ......... 342 



xvi LIST OF ILL USTRA TIONS. 

PAGE 

Inhabitants of Southern Yunnan . . . . . . • . 343 

The Great River above Chinangli . . 344 

Junk near the Entrance of the Imperial Canal ..... 348 

Foot-Bridge over the Grand Canal 349 

View on the Grand Canal above Canton 350 

A Chinese Soldier Exercising with Two Swords 351 

River Landscape. (From a Chinese Drawing) 355 

View on the Min River, near Foochow . . . . . . . 356 

Countrywoman of Foochow . . . . . . . . -35^ 

Pagoda at Tung-Chow 359 

An Oriental Maid-Servant • 360 

Ancient Chinese Tomb .......... 362 

Traveller's Boat on Upper Part of the Yang-tse 364 

Mediaeval Artillery ........... ^66 

Boat Used by Officials and Their Families t,6Z 

Golden Island 369 

Little Orphan Rock in Yang-tse 370 

Silver Island, Yang-tse-Kiang . . . . . . . . .372 

Men Working at Their Trades 373 

Lantern from Hangchau . 375 

West Gate of Chinkiangfu in 1842 ........ 379 

Southwest Gate and Water Gate of Suchau. (From a Chinese Drawing) 381 
Ancient Pagoda at Hangchau . . . . . . . . -381 

Column at Kinsay ........... 385 

Temple of the Heavenly Winds . 387 

A Teacher of Writing . . . . . . . . . . 388 

A Chinese Reception Party . 389 

A Mandarin Receiving Calls . . . , 390 

Chinese Sedan Chair 393 

Scene in the Bohea Mountains on Polo's Route 395 

Sketch Map of the Great Ports of Fokien 399 

Antique Porcelain Vase . .401 

Carrying Common Tea . . . . 403 

Carrying Fine Tea ........... 403 

Tea-Picker, Canton 404 

View on the Min • 404 

The Khan's Fleet Leaving the Port of Zayton ..... 405 

The Khan's Fleet Passing through the Indian Archipelago . . . 409 
Ancient Japanese Emperor. (From a Native Drawing) . . . .411 

Japanese Nurse-Maid .412 

Mount Fusiyama, Japan 413 

Yomei Gate, Nikko, Japan . . . . • . . , , , 414 



LIST OF ILL USTRA TIONS. xvii 

PAGE 

Buddhist Priests, Japan . . • 4i5 

Japanese Street and Canal ......... 416 

Gateway of a Japanese I'emple 417 

Japanese Farm-House 419 

Summer and Winter Dress ......... 420 

Temple Gateway at Isshinden, Japan . , 421 

Entrance to Shrine of Seventh Shogun, Tokio . . . . .422 

Exterior of a Japanese Temple 423 

House on the Shore ........... 425 

Japanese Peasant 426 

Hairy Men of Northern Japan ........ 427 

A Family Party, (From a Native Sketch) . . . . . . 428 

Native Houses ............ 429 

Scene in the Harbor of Bangkok, Siam ....... 430 

View in Java ............ 433 

The Rhinoceros at Home 434 

Plants of Sumatra ........... 435 

Interior of a Native House 437 

An Elephant Ride in a Tropical Forest .....'. 438 

Wild Races of the Malay Peninsula 440 

Malay Youth and Maiden ......... 441 

Gomuti Palm 443 

Native House and Bathing Pool ........ 444 

River Scene in Ceylon 447 

Smoking Mosquitoes in a Malay House ....... 450 

Adam's Peak, Ceylon . . . 452 

Teeth of Buddha . 453 

Stone Lanterns near a Buddhist Temple . 454 

Native of Southern India . . . . . . . . . .456 

The Areca Palm 457 

Street in a Native Village . . . . . . . . -459 

Sub-Tropical Houses of Modern Times 461 

Gigantic Fern 465 

Head of a Dancing Girl .......... 466 

Lycosa Tarantula . . . . . . . . . . .467 

Pagoda at Tanjore ........... 468 

Ruined Pagoda at Negapatam ......... 470 

The Little Mount of St. Thomas 471 

St. Thomas Localities at Madras 472 

Court of a Diamond Merchant's House ....... 475 

Travelling Coach of Southern India . 47^ 

A Brahman Saying His Prayers ........ 479 



xviii LIST OF ILL USTRA TIONS. 

PAGE 

Young Lady of Southern India . . . . . . . . 480 

An Indian Fakir 481 

Ancient Christian Church on the Malabar Coast . . . . . 483 
Voishya and Sudra . . . . . . . , . . .485 

Young Woman of Madras 486 

View of Cape Comorin, the Southerly Point of India .... 487 

Monte d' Ely, from the Sea . 489 

Archway in Guzerat . . . . . . . . . . .491 

Indian Serpent-Charmers 492 

Religious Procession in India 494 

Bombay 495 

The Gate of Somnath . . 497 

Roc's Egg 500 

The Roc. (From a Persian Drawing) 501 

Saracens Saying Their Prayers 503 

View of Aden 505 

An Arab Shoe-Shop. ........... 506 

An Arab Chief 507 

Drawing Water from an Arabian Well 508 

Skeleton of Dinornis oi New Zealand 511 

Ethiopian Sheep 512 

The Harvest of Frankincense in Arabia. (From an Old Print) . -5^3 

Foliage of the Incense Tree -S^S 

Persian Wind-Catcher . . . . . . . . . .516 

A Castle of the King 519 

Crossing the Yenesei River, Siberia 521 

House with Underground Floors . . . . . . . '523 

Valley of the Amoor River, Siberia 525 

The Siberian Dog-Sledge * . . .526 

Mediaeval Russian Church . . 528 

Asiatic Warriors of Polo's Time .,....». 530 



X, 




CHAPTER I. 

The Young Folks' Reading and Geographical Society ; How and for What it was Formed — 
Marco Polo and. His Book — History of the Great Venetian Traveller — How He Established 
His Identity on His Return — A Book Written in Prison ; Its Geographical Value. 

Mr. Henry Allen rapped three times on the 
table. 

After a pause of half a minute he rapped again 
and said : 

*' The Society will please come to order." 

The hum of conversation ceased ; the twenty 

Arms of the Polo i i • i • 

Family. or more persons present settled mto chairs or 

upon a long sofa at one side of the room ; and in a little while 
the desired ''order" was secured. Then the young man at the 
table proceeded without further delay to the business of the 
evening. 

''You are all aware," said he, "that the object of the meeting 
to-night is to consider the life and travels of Marco Polo. I 
hope the members of the Society are prepared with full informa- 
tion upon the subject." 

While he pauses at the end of the above announcement we 
will endeavor to ascertain the nature of the assemblage before 
us. It was known as " The Young Folks' Reading and Geo- 
graphical Society," and owed its existence to the efforts of the 
youth of eighteen years or more who occupied the chair of 
President. The Society met once a week "for purposes of 
mental improvement," as set forth in the preamble of its organ- 
ization, and it was decided at the first meeting that the read- 
ings and studies of the Society should be devoted to geographical 
subjects. Hence the name which had been chosen for the 
Association. It included about twenty youths and maidens of 



2 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

the village, and the meetings had been held in rotation at the 
houses of the members. The parents and friends of the mem- 
bers were always invited to attend, and their presence and sug- 
gestions did a great deal to encourage the young folks in the 
work they had undertaken. 

On the evening in question the meeting was held in the 
library of Dr. Allen, the uncle of the presiding officer. The 
doctor, a gray-haired and dignified gentleman, was seated in a 
corner of the library, and was an interested observer of the pro- 
ceedings. He had been in many parts of the world, and it was 
well known that his collection of books included more works of 
travel than any other library in the village. The walls were 
hung with maps and charts wherever the shelves and book-cases 
allowed room for them ; and at one side was a cabinet of curiosi- 
ties gathered from the countries he had seen. The young 
people were fond of visiting his library, and when the meeting 
was called to order that evening, every member of the Society 
was present. 

Behind the President and above his head there was hanging 
a large sheet of drawing-paper, on which was displayed a blue 
shield with a broad stripe of silver running diagonally across it. 
On the stripe were three birds, painted in black ; they appeared 
to be walking and holding their mouths open, but whether for 
song or food it was impossible to determine. We are permitted 
to state that the painting of the shield was the work of Miss 
Mary Allen, Henry's sister, who had taken the first prize in her 
drawing-class at the last term of school. 

Henry observed that the eyes of several members of the 
Society were turned in the direction of the shield, and were evi- 
dently unable to comprehend its meaning. 

To gratify the general curiosity he explained that it repre- 
sented the arms of the Polo family, one of the most noted of its 
time in Venice. '' According to the first published account of 
Marco Polo's travels," said he, '' the arms of the family consist of 
a blue shield, crossed with a bend or stripe bearing three birds. 



THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 



There is some dispute as to the kind of bird represented, but 
they are generally believed to be jackdaws. The emblem is by 
no means inappropriate," he continued ; ^'the jackdaw is a noisy 
bird, and certainly we must concede that Marco Polo has made a 
great deal of noise in the world." 

During the smile that followed his slight attempt at a joke Henry 
consulted a memorandum that lay on the table before him. Then 

he called upon Frank Bas- 
sett who was seated directly 
in front of him to tell the 
Society who Marco Polo 
was. 

Frank rose to his feet 
and drew from his pocket 
a roll of manuscript. He 
opened it somewhat ner- 
vously and began reading. 
At the start his voice was 
slightly tremulous, but in 
less than a minute he had 
recovered his composure 
and the tremor disappeared. 
'' Marco Polo," said he, 
'' was a native of Venice, and 
was born about the year 
1254. He was the son of 

Mongol Pipe and Pouch in Dr. Allen's Collection. Nicolo Polo a rich mer- 
chant of that city, who had large transactions with the East. 
Those who are familiar with the history of Venice will re- 
member that for several centuries 'she commanded much of the 
commerce between Europe and Asia, and her merchants became 
very wealthy. During the thirteenth century Venice was at the 
height of her prosperity and exercised great power over all sur- 
rounding people. About the time of Marco's birth his father, 
together with his uncle Maffeo, started on a trading voyage to 




THE ELDER POLOS IN ASIA. 



5 



the East. According to the custom of the time they carried the 
products of Europe to exchange for those of Asia, and especially 
for diamonds and other precious stones. At Constantinople 
Nicolo and Maffeo Polo converted their goods into jewels, and 
then crossed the Black Sea to the Crimea ; from the Crimea they 
went to Asia, and travelled overland to Bokhara. 

'' They lived several years in Bokhara, and then went to 
Cathay, where they were received with great honor by the Em- 




Marco Polo's Galley Going into Battle. 

peror Kublai Khan. He sent them on a mission to the Pope, 
and they returned to Europe after an absence which is variously 
stated at from fifteen to nineteen years. In 1271 they started 
again for Asia, taking young Marco with them. 

'* This was the beginning of the travels of Marco Polo ; he 
did not return to his native city until the year 1296, and conse- 
quently his wanderings and adventures cover a period of nearly 
thirty years. After his return to Venice he was appointed to the 



6 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

command of a ship in one of the wars between that republic and 
its rival Genoa. He was taken prisoner in a battle and carried 
to Genoa, where he remained five or six years. During his cap- 
tivity one of his companions wrote down the story told by Marco ; 
several copies were made of this wonderful narrative, and from 
one of the copies was printed the celebrated book of travels. He 
died at Venice in 1323. 

'' I have thus told you briefly who Marco Polo was," said 
Frank, as he folded his manuscript and was about to resume his 
seat. ''He was, we may say, the most remarkable man of his 
time, but his work was not appreciated until long after his death. 
The stories he told about the countries of the East were not 
believed, but since his time they have nearly all been confirmed, 
and he. is shown to have been a man of veracity. From all we can 
learn of him he was an honorable gentleman of a noble family 
of Venice, and never did any thing to its discredit." 

As Frank sat down there was a round of applause which 
brought a blush to the face of the modest youth. When quiet 
was restored the President called upon Fred Bronson to tell them 
about Marco Polo's book. 

"■ There have been," said Fred, who followed Frank's example 
and read from manuscript, '' more than sixty printed editions of 
Marco Polo's travels. About half of these have appeared in 
English, while the rest are nearly equally divided between Ger- 
many, Italy, France, and Spain. The book has been translated 
into Russian, Swedish, Danish, and other continental languages, 
and there are not many modern works that have been so widely 
circulated. Seven editions have been printed in Latin, and I 
read in a newspaper quite recently that the book had been trans- 
lated into Japanese. 

'' The book remained in manuscript for a hundred and fifty 
years after the death of Marco Polo. The first edition of it was 
published at Nuremberg, in 1477, and contains a portrait which 
is probably quite unlike the great traveller. During the follow- 
ing hundred years ten editions were printed in German, French, 



EARLIEST PORTRAIT OF MARCO. 7 

Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian. The most important of these 
editions was by a Venetian named Ramusio ; his preface is dated 
July 7, t553, and the book was in four large volumes. It is not 
worth our while to follow all the other editions that have been 



3iui9d£r coei Rtneg^iiarctwimtttioivi 




Portrait of Marco Polo, from the First Printed Edition of his Book. 

made, but we will come directly to modern times, from the earliest 
to the latest. A French author, Pauthier, published an elaborate 
edition in i865, and claims to have followed one of the original 



8 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

manuscripts of Marco Polo, or rather one that was personally 
revised by him." 

Fred observed a puzzled expression on the faces of some of 
his auditors. Dropping his manuscript to his side he continued 
as follows : 

'* You must bear in mind that the art of printing from mov- 
able types was not invented until long after Marco Polo's travels, 
and consequently the books of his time were in manuscript. 
Some authorities credit him with introducing the art of printing 
into Europe by means of specimens of Chinese printing which 
he brought home from the East, but the claim rests on very 
slight foundation. He makes no mention of printing in any 
part of his book, and, therefore, we may conclude that he 
did not bring the art from Asia. Marco Polo died in 1323, 
while the first printing-press of which there is any authentic 
record was not constructed until 1438. 

'' There is some dispute as to the language in which the 
book was originally written. The work was done by Rusticien, 
of Pisa, a fellow-prisoner of Marco Polo during his captivity -in 
Genoa, and after long and tedious discussions on the subject 
it has been generally decided that the book was written in 
French." 

Fred paused a moment after making this statement and 
glanced in the direction of Dr. Allen. As he did so one of the 
younger members of the Society rose and asked Fred to explain 
why the book was written in French when the traveller and 
the writer were both Italians and would be likely to use 
their own language. Fred seemed puzzled for an answer, but the 
doctor came to his aid. 

'' Marco Polo was from Venice," said the doctor, '' while 
Rusticien was from Pisa. The dialects of Pisa and Venice 
are quite different, and, besides, Marco had been so long in Asia 
that he might have forgotten a great deal of his mother tongue. 
Rusticien was a learned man for his time, and, besides, the 
French language had been carried to the East by the Crusaders, 



POL YGL O T CON VERSA TION. 9 

and was spoken by a great many people not natives of France. 
It is very likely that the two prisoners found they could get 
along better in French than in their differing dialects of Italian, 
and so the book was made in it. 

'' It is not at all unusual," continued the doctor, '' for persons 
of different countries to converse in a language which does 
not belong to either. I have seen a party of six nationalities — 
American, Russian, German, Italian, Spanish, and Turkish — 
conversing in French, and I have known Chinese from different 
provinces of China to resort to pidgin-English in order to un- 
derstand each other. Once I talked with a Chinese mandarin on 
the frontier of Russia, and our dialogue passed through four 
translations. What I thought in my own language I said in 
French ; it was then translated from French into Russian, from 
Russian into Mongol, and from Mongol into Chinese. Now 
if we had had a common language between us we could have 
got along without so much delay." 

As the doctor sat down amid the smile that his last remark 
produced Fred returned to the consideration of his manuscript. 

''The French edition of Pauthier in 1865 was an elaborate 
one with many notes, and it is decidedly the best of the editions 
in that language. Of the English editions the latest, and by 
far the best, is that of Colonel Yule ; it was published in London 
in 1 87 1, and a second and much larger edition was made in 1875. 
The title-page reads as follows : 

THE BOOK 

OF 

SER MARCO POLO, 

THE VENETIAN, ^^ 

Concerning the Kingdoms and Marvels of the East, 

NEWLY TRANSLATED AND EDITED, WITH NOTES, MAPS, AND OTHER 

ILLUSTRATIONS. 

r.Y COLONEL HENRY YULE, C.B., 

LATE OF THE ROYAL ENGINEERS (bENGAL). 



lo THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

'' The explanatory notes add greatly to the value of the book, 
and they are as numerous as they are interesting. The introduc- 
tion fills a hundred and forty pages, and even in the rest of 
the book there is hardly a page without its foot-note. Some- 
times the notes cover several pages together, and the prepara- 
tion of the book must have given Col. Yule a great deal of hard 
work. He deserves all the honor it is in the power of this 
or any other geographical society to confer." 

''In all I have to say of Marco Polo and his travels, I 
shall draw from Colonel Yule's work," continued the youth. 
'' He may be safely considered the best authority on the subject, 
and I may find it convenient to use his very words at times 
without stopping to say so. To begin with, let me quote from 
the extracts he makes from the preface of the Italian edition 
which has already been mentioned. Ramusio names several 
noted geographers of ancient times and then says " : 

Of all that I have named, Ptolemy, as the latest, possessed the great- 
est extent of knowledge. Thus, toward the North, his knowledge carries 
him beyond the Caspian, and he is aware of its being shut in all round 
like a lake, — a fact which was unknown in the days of Strabo and Pliny, 
though the Romans were already lords of the world. But though his knowl- 
edge extends so far, a tract of fifteen degrees beyond that sea he can de- 
scribe only as Terra Incognita ; and toward the South he is fain to apply the 
same character to all beyond the Equinoxial. In these unknown regions, 
as regards the South, the first to make discoveries have been the Portu- 
guese captains of our own age ; but as regards the North and North- 
east the discoverer was the Magnifico Messer Marco Polo, an honored 
nobleman of Venice, nearly three hundred years since, as may be read 
more fully in his own Book. And in truth it makes one marvel to con- 
sider the immense extent of the journeys made, first by the Father and 
Uncle of the said Messer Marco, when they proceeded continually toward 
the East-Northeast, all the way to the Court of the Great Can and the 
Emperor of the Tartars ; and afterward again by the three of them when, 
on their return homeward, they traversed the Eastern and Indian Seas. 



RAMUSiaS GEOGRAPHICAL COMMENTS. ii 

Nor is that all, for one marvels also how the aforesaid gentleman was able 
to give such an orderly description of all that he had seen ; seeing that 
such an accomplishment was possessed by very few in his day, and he had 
had a large part of his nurture among those uncultivated Tartars, without 
any regular training in the art of composition. His Book indeed, owing to 
the endless errors and inaccuracies that had crept into it, had come for 
many years to be regarded as fabulous ; and the opinion prevailed that the 
names of cities and provinces contained therein were all fictitious and 
imaginary, without any ground in fact, or were (I might rather say) mere 
dreams. 

Howbeit, during the last hundred years, persons acquainted with 
Persia have begun to recognize the existence of Cathay. The voyages of 
the Portuguese also toward the Northeast, beyond the Golden Chersonese, 
have brought to knowledge many cities and provinces of India, and many 
islands likewise, with those very names which our Author applies to them ; 
and again, on reaching the Land of China, they have ascertained from the 
people of that region (as we are told by Sign. John De Barros, a Portu- 
guese gentleman, in his Geography) that Canton, one of the chief cities of 
that kingdom, is in 3of° of latitude, with the coast running N.E. and 
S.W. ; that after a distance of two hundred and seventy-five leagues the 
said coast turns toward the N.W. ; and that there are three provinces along 
the sea-board, Mangi, Zanton, and Quinzai, the last of which is the prin- 
cipal city and the King's Residence, standing in 46° of latitude. And 
proceeding yet farther the coast attains to 50°. Seeing then how many 
particulars are in our day becoming known of that part of the world con- 
cerning which Messer Marco has written, I have deemed it reasonable to 
publish his book, with the aid of several copies written (as I judge) more 
than two hundred years ago, in a perfectly accurate form, and one vastly 
more faithful than that in which it has been heretofore read. And thus the 
world shall not lose the fruit that may be gathered from so much diligence 
and industry expended upon sohonorable a branch of knowledge. 

" Ramuslo then proceeds to compare the discoveries of Polo 
with those of Columbus and others, and very naturally gives the 
highest merit to his hero. Here is what he says of the dififi- 
culties of the journey " : 



12 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

And often in my own mind, comparing the land explorations of 
these our Venetian gentlemen with the sea explorations of the aforesaid 
Signor Don Christopher, I have asked myself which of the two were really 
the more marvellous. And if patriotic prejudice delude me not, me- 
thinks good reason might be adduced for setting the land journey above 
the sea voyage. Consider only what a height of courage was needed to 
undertake and carry through so difificult an enterprise, over a route of 
such desperate length and hardship, whereon it was sometimes necessary 
to carry food for the supply of man and beast, not for days only biit for 
months together. Columbus, on the other hand, going by sea, readily 
carried with him all necessary provisions ; and after a voyage of some 
thirty or forty days was conveyed by the wind whither he desired to go, 
whilst the Venetians again took a whole year's time to pass all those 
great deserts and mighty rivers. 

'' There are more comments upon the condition of geographi- 
cal knowledge in Ramusio's time," continued Fred, '' but it 
might be tedious for you to listen to them. The most inter- 
esting part of his narrative is the account of the return of the 
travellers to Venice and hov^ they convinced their friends of 
their identity." 

And when they got thither the same fate befell them as befell Ulysses, 
who, when he returned, after his twenty years' wanderings, to his 
native Ithaca, was recognized by nobody. Thus also those three gentle- 
men who had been so many years absent from their native city were 
recognized by none of their kinsfolk, who were under the firm belief that 
they had all been dead for many a year past, as indeed had been reported. 
Through the long duration and the hardships of their journeys, and 
through the many worries and anxieties that they had undergone, they 
were quite changed in aspect, and had got a certain indescribable smack 
of the Tartar both in air and accent, having indeed all but forgotten their 
Venetian tongue. Their clothes too were coarse and shabby, and of a 
Tartar cut. They proceeded on their arrival to their house in this city 
in the confine of St. John Chrysostom, where you may see it to this day. 



POLO'S HOUSE IN VENICE. 



13 



The house, which was in those days a very lofty and handsome palazzo, 
is now known by the name of the Corte del Millioni for a reason that I 
will tell you presently. Going thither they found it occupied by some of 
their relatives, and they had the greatest difficulty in making the latter 




Door-way of Marco Polo's House in the Corte Sabbionera at Venice. 

understand who they should be. For these good people, seeing them to 
be in countenance so unlike what they used to be, and in dress so shabby, 
flatly refused to believe that they were those very gentlemen of the Ca' 
Polo whom they had been looking upon for ever so many years as among 



14 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

the dead. So these three gentlemen devised a scheme by which they 
should at once bring about their recognition by their relatives, and secure 
the honorable notice of the whole city ; and this was it : — 

They invited a number of their kindred to an entertainment, w^hich 
they took care to have prepared with great state and splendor in that 
house of theirs ; and when the hour arrived for sitting down to table they 
came forth of their chamber all three clothed in crimson satin, fashioned 
in long robes reaching to the ground, such as people in those days wore 
within doors. And when water for the hands had been served, and the 
guests were set, they took off those robes and put on others of crimson 
damask, whilst the first suits were by their orders cut up and divided 
among the servants. Then after partaking of some of the dishes they 
went out again and came back iS robes of crimson velvet, and when they 
had acfain taken their seats,, the second suits were divided as before. 
When dinner was over they did the like with the robes of velvet, after 
they had put on dresses of the ordinary fashion worn by the rest of the 
company. These proceedings caused much wonder and am^azement 
among the guests. But when the cloth had been drawn, and all the 
servants had been ordered to retire from the dining-hall, Messer Marco, 
as the youngest of the three, rose from table, and, going into another 
chamber, brought forth the three shabby dresses of coarse stuff which 
they had worn when they first arrived. Straightway they took sharp 
knives and began to rip up some of the seams and welts, and to take out 
of them jewels of the greatest value in vast quantities, such as rubies, 
sapphires, carbuncles, diamonds, and emeralds, which had all been 
stitched up in those dresses in so artful a fashion that nobody could have 
suspected the fact. For when they took leave of the Great Can they had 
changed all the wealth that he had bestowed upon them into this mass 
of rubies, emeralds, and other jewels, being well aware of the impossi- 
bility of carrying with them so great an amount of gold over a journey of 
such extreme length and difficulty. Now this exhibition of such a huge 
treasure of jewels and precious stones, all tumbled out upon the table, 
threw the guests into fresh amazement, insomuch that they seemed quite 
bewildered and dumbfounded. And now they recognized that in spite of 
all former doubts these were in truth those honored and worthy gentle- 



A MAN OF MILLIONS. 15 

men of the Ca' Polo that they claimed to be ; and so all paid them the 
greatest honor and reverence. And when the story got wind in Venice, 
straightway the whole city, gentle and simple, flocked to the house to 
embrace them, and to make much of them, with every conceivable dem- 
onstration of affection and respect. On Messer Mafifio, who was the 
eldest, they conferred the honors of an office that was of great dignity in 
those days ; whilst the young men came daily to visit and converse with 
the ever poHte and gracious Messer Marco, and to ask him questions 
about Cathay and the Great Can, all which he answered with such kindly 
courtesy that every man felt himself in a manner his debtor. And as it 
happened that in the story, which he was constantly called on to repeat, 
of the magnificence of the Great Can, he would speak of his revenues as 
amounting to ten or fifteen millions, of%old ; and in like manner, when 
recounting other instances of great wealth in those parts, would always 
make use of the term inillions, so they gave him the nickname of Messer 
Marco Million: : a thing which I have noted also in the Public Books 
of this Republic where mention is made of him. The Court of his 
House, too, at S. Giovanni Chrisostomo, has always from that time been 
popularly known as the Court of the Millioni. 

As Fred paused after concluding his extract from Ramusio's 
narrative, one of his auditors asked if the house of Marco Polo 
can be seen to-day. Fred was unable to ansv^er, as he had never 
been in Venice, but the doctor came to his relief. 

'' The house," said the doctor, '' is pointed out to any one 
who asks for it. When I was first in Venice I told my guide I 
wished to see it, and he took me to a large building at the end 
of the Corte Sabbionera, which was formerly called the Corte del 
Millioni. He said it was the house of Marco Polo, and it an- 
swered the description of the ' Palazzo dei Polo! in one of the 
guide-books. The frame of the door is in the Arabic style of 
architecture, and above it there is a handsome Greek cross, evi- 
dently very old. According to tradition, Marco Polo was born 
and died in this house, and certainly no other building in Venice 
disputes the honor. 



i6 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

" There is another version," continued the doctor, '' of the 
reception of the travellers on their return from the East. It is 
said that they were clad in rags, and when they had changed their 
old garments for new the wife of one of the Polos gave away the 
coat which her husband had discarded. He asked for it the next 
day, in order to take out the jewels which were sewn into it. 
When he learned that it had been given to a beggar he went to 
the bridge of the Rialto and stood there turning a wheel to 
no apparent purpose. People crowded around him and asked 
why he did this. His only answer was : ' He '11 come if God 
pleases.' All thought he was insane, and for two or three days 
there was constantly a crowd about him. At the end of that 
time he recognized his old* coat on the back of a beggar, and 
bought it for a few pence. He recovered all his jewels, and with 
the proceeds of their sale built a fine house, which was occupied 
by the family for many years." 

Dr. Allen sat down. Fred suggested that perhaps some one 
desired to ask a question relative to what he had told or read 
about Marco Polo and his history. The opportunity was em- 
braced by one of the younger members of the society, who said 
he would like to know about the famous dinner given by the 
travellers to convince their relatives of their identity. 

"■ You said something about water being served for the hands 
when the dinner was ready," remarked the youth, "• and I did n't 
understand what was meant by it." 

Fred looked inquiringly at the doctor, and the latter came at 
once to his aid. 

'' It is an Eastern custom," he remarked,/' to serve water for 
the hands, not only before the commencement of a dinner but at 
intervals in its progress. Ramusio's manner of mentioning it 
would imply that it prevailed in Venice in his day, which is quite 
possible, in consequence of the intimacy which had grown up be- 
tween that city and the East. In all Moslem lands you will still 
find the custom, and when you bear in mind the mode of eating 
you will see the necessity for it. 



ORIENTAL CEREMONIES A T DINNER, 



17 



'' I can best describe it by telling you of my first experience 
at an Oriental dinner. I was invited to dine with an Arab 
Sheik, and was told beforehand that there would be no knives or 
forks. Just before we sat down to the feast a servant brought a 
basin and with it a pitcher having a long spout. He poured the 
water on our hands, and it disappeared through a sort of colander 
in the bottom of the basin. When we had dried our hands we 
sat down at a low table, and then the eating began. The first 
course was roast lamb. The Sheik tore off pieces of the meat 



iilff>f''V'f''i'';ilW't!B 







Washing the Hands before Dinner. 

and passed them to each of his guests, and we took them in our 
fingers. As soon as we were through with this part of the feast, 
the basins were brought to us again, and they were brought after 
each and every course. I had thought that the use of the fingers 
in place of our ordinary table utensils would spoil my appetite, 
but the perfect cleanliness resulting from the constant use of 
water prevented any unpleasant effect. 

'* It is quite possible," the doctor continued, '' that the Polos 



i8 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

brought the custom with them from their long residence in the 
East, and introduced it at their banquet. The distribution of 
their dresses among the servants was after the Oriental manner, 
and was well calculated to impress the guests with the wealth of 
the entertainers." 

'' As long as the Polos were supposed to be poor they were 
not recognized by their relatives," said another member of the 
Society, '' but when their wealth was exhibited they were 
acknowledged at once. I would like to ask if this custom was 
confined to Venice." 

'' I think not," replied the doctor, with a smile. '' All ages 
and all countries can give parallels to the experience of the 
Venetian travellers in this particular. A man with millions can 
find an abundance of kinsmen, but let him be penniless nobody 
will claim relationship with him." 

Other points in the proceedings of the evening were dis- 
cussed, and before any one was aware of it the clock struck the 
hour for adjournment. A vote of thanks was unanimously given 
to Frank and Fred for their interesting recitals, and it was 
agreed that the Society should devote further time to the study 
of Marco Polo's book. The two youths were appointed to the 
work of making suitable extracts from the volume, and the rest 
of the Society was constituted a '' Committee of the Whole " to 
ask questions or offer any explanations that might occur to them. 

When this was determined the President rapped twice on the 
table and declared that the meeting was adjourned. Immedi- 
ately after the adjournment Dr. Allen called the assemblage 
again to order, and said that for the convenience of consulting 
his books and maps he would offer the Society the use of his 
library until they had disposed of Polo's travels. The offer was 
promptly accepted with an earnest and heartfelt vote of thanks. 



CHAPTER II. 

Prologue to the Book — Travels of Marco's Father and Uncle — Journey to the Court of Kublai 
Khan — Interview with his Majesty — The Sojourn in Cathay — Returning after a Long 
Absence — Oriental Receptions. 

At the next meeting of the Society Frank and Fred were 
called to the side of the President, who announced that the young 
gentlemen had been busy with the work entrusted to them and 
were provided with ample materials for the evening's entertain- 
ment. He hoped the other members of the Society had not been 
idle, and that each and all had made preparation to add to the 
general fund of information. Without further preliminaries he 
called upon Frank Bassett to read what he had prepared. 

''The story of Marco Polo," said Frank, ''has been variously 
divided by the writers who have undertaken to compile or edit 
it. Colonel Yule arranges it in a prologue and four books. 
The prologue tells how the elder Polos made their first journey 
to the court of the great Khan of Tartary and the circumstances 
of their second journey when accompanied by young Marco. 
The four books consist of a great many chapters, some very 
short and some very long, describing the sights, products, and 
manners of the countries of Asia, together with an attempt at 
their history, and the wars and government of Kublai Khan. A 
great part of this story of Oriental warfare is wearisome reading, 
and I shall exercise the editor s privilege of cutting it down. You 
will observe that the language of the book is sometimes in the first 
person and sometimes in the third. It is probable that Rusticien 
took the story of the great traveller as it was dictated, and after- 
wards attempted to write it out more fully. Doubtless the work 
was done at considerable intervals and with some carelessness, so 
that the form of writing at one time was not followed at another. 

19 



20 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

"With this explanation," said Frank, "we will take up the 
story as we find it." Then the youth read in a full clear voice, 
while his audience listened attentively : 

THE 

BOOK OF MARCO POLO/ 



PROLOGUE. 



Great Princes, Emperors, and Kings, Dukes and Marquises, Counts, 
Knights, and Burgesses ! and People of all degrees who desire to get 
knowledge of the various races of mankind and of the diversities of the 
sundry regions of the World, take this Book and cause it to be read to 
you. For ye shall find therein all kinds of wonderful things, and the 
divers histories of the great Hermenia, and of Persia, and of the Land of 
the Tartars, and of India, and of many another country of which our Book 
doth speak, particularly and in regular succession, according to the 
description of Messer Marco Polo, a wise and noble citizen of Venice, as 
he saw them with his own eyes. Some things indeed there be therein 
which he beheld not ; but these he heard from men of credit and veracity. 
And we shall set down things seen as seen, and things heard as heard 
only, so that no jot of falsehood may mar the truth of our Book, and that 
all who shall read it or hear it read may put full faith in the truth of all 
its contents. 

For let me tell you that since our Lord God did mould with his hands 
our first Father Adam, even until this day, never hath there been Chris- 
tian, or Pagan, or Tartar, or Indian, or any man of any nation, who in his 
own person hath had so much knowledge and experience of the divers 
parts of the World and its Wonders as hath had this Messer Marco ! 
And for that reason he bethought himself that it would be a very great 
pity did he not cause to be put in writing all the great marvels that he 
had seen, or on sure information heard of, so that other people who had 

^ The orthography of the text is according to Colonel Yule. — T. W. K. 



HOW THE BOOK WAS WRITTEN. 



21 



not these advantages might, by his Book, get such knowledge. And I 
may tell you that in acquiring this knowledge he spent in those various 
parts of the World good six-and-twenty years. Now, being thereafter an 
inmate of the Prison at Genoa, he caused Messcr Rusticiano of Pisa, who 
was in the said Prison likewise, to reduce the whole to writing ; and this 
befell in the year 1298 from the birth of Jesus. 

It came to pass in the year of Christ 1260, when Baldwin was reigning 
at Constantinople, that Messer Nicolas Polo, the father of my lord 
Mark, and Messer Maffeo Polo, the brother of Messer Nicolas, were at the 




The Castle of Soldaia. 

said city of CONSTANTINOPLE, whither they had gone from Venice with 
their merchant's wares. Now these two Brethren, men singularly noble, 
wise, and provident, took counsel together to cross the GREATER Sea on 
a venture of trade ; so they laid in a store of jewels and set forth from 
Constantinople, crossing the Sea to SOLDAIA. 

Frank paused and nodded to Fred. The latter rose im- 
mediately and announced that it had been left to him to make 
explanations of the text. In accordance with this arrangement 
his first duty would be to explain that the mention of Soldaia 



22 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO, 

gave the clue to the route which the two brothers followed in 
their first journey to the East. ''In the time of Marco Polo," 
said he, " Soldaia was an important place of trade on the south- 
eastern shore of the Crimea. Ibn Batuta, an Arab historian, 
mentioned Sudak (the Arab name of Soldaia) as one of the four 
great ports of the world. It was captured by the Genoese in 
1356, and they built a strong fortress there whose ruins exist 
to-day." 

Frank then resumed his story. 

Having stayed a while at Soldaia, they considered the matter, and 
thought it well to extend their journey farther. So they set forth from 
Soldaia and travelled till they came to the Court of a certain Tartar 
Prince, Barca Kaan by name, whose residences were at Sara and at 
BOLGARA [and who was esteemed one of the most liberal and courteous 
Princes that ever was among the Tartars]. This Barca was delighted at 
the arrival of the Two Brothers, and treated them with great honor; so 
they presented to him the whole of the jewels that they had broiight with 
them. The Prince was highly pleased with these, and accepted the 
offering most graciously, causing the Brothers to receive at least twice 
its value. 

After they had spent a twelvemonth at the court of this Prince there 
broke out a great war between Barca and Alau, the Lord of the Tartars 
of the Levant, and great hosts were mustered on either side. 

But in the end Barca, the Lord of the Tartars of the Ponent, was de- 
feated, though on both sides there was great slaughter. And by reason 
of this war no one could travel without peril of being taken ; thus it was 
at least on the road by which the Brothers had come, though there was 
no obstacle to their travelling forward. So the Brothers, finding they 
could not retrace their steps, determined to go forward. Quitting 
Bolgara, therefore, they proceeded to a city called UcACA, which w^as at 
the extremity of the kingdom of the Lord of the Ponent ; and thence de- 
parting again, and passing the great River Tigris, they travelled across a 
Desert which extended for seventeen days' journey, and wherein they 
found neither town nor village, falling in only with the tents of Tartars 
occupied with their cattle at pasture. 



THE ORIGIN OF RUSSIA I^T^E,R. 23 

Fred was ready with his explanations, whicP ^^ took up the 
moment Frank came to a pause. 

''Barca Khan" said he, "was the grandson of t^e celebrated 
Genghis Khan who invaded Europe, as you have dl^t)tless all 
read in history. Sara was a large and handsome city ^^^^ ^^ 
Volga River ; it was partly destroyed by Tamerlane, and t]^ ^^" 
struction was completed by the Russians a hundred years l^-^''- 
Its ruins are pointed out near the modern city of Tzaritsin. 

'' Bolgara or Bolghar was the capital of what was then called 
Great Bulgaria, and stood near the Volga, about ninety miles 
below the present city of Kazan. In the thirteenth century it 
was one of the most northern towns in the world, and travellers 




The Ruins of Bolghar. 

went there to see the short summer night, just as they now go to 
the North Cape to see the midnight sun. An interesting fact 
about Bolghar is that it had a large trade in what we call ' Russia 
leather,' and this article is now known as Bolgari all through 
Northern Asia. Bolghar was long ago destroyed ; the manu- 
facture of Russia leather was continued by Kazan, which ex- 
ports a great deal of. it to the United States and other coun- 
tries." 

'' I visited Kazan several years ago," said Dr. Allen, '' and 
was much interested in the tanneries there. Several towns in the 
neighborhood of Kazan are largely engaged in tanning, and it 
was in one of them that an enterprising American succeeded in 
learning the process which he has since introduced in the United 



24 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 




States. Nowadays, when you buy something made of Russia 
leather, you mnst not feel certain that it was imported, as the 
American tanners are very skilful imitators." 

As th^ doctor sat down, Fred explained further that Ucaca 
was a t;Own on the right bank of the Volga, near the modern 
SaraJ^^ and that there is a village called Uwek where the town 
foi:^erly stood. The great river Tigris means the Volga, and 
e desert, which extended for seventeen days' journey, was 
only a part of the journey from Ucaca to Bokhara. In the time 
of our travellers it probably took not less than sixty days to 
traverse that distance. 




Camp Scene in Bokhara. 

Frank continued his reading : 

After they had passed the desert, they arrived at a very great and 
noble city called Bocara, the territory of which belonged to a king whose 
name was Barac, and is also called Bocara. The city is the best in all 
Persia. And when they had got thither, they found they could neither 
proceed farther forward nor yet turn back again ; wherefore they abode 
in that city of Bocara for three years. 

And whilst they were sojourning in that city, there came from Alau, 
Lord of the Levant, Envoys on their way to the Court of the Great Kaan, 



THE POLOS A T THE COURT OF KUBLAI KHAN. 25 

the Lord of all the Tartars in the world. And when the Envoys beheld 
the Two Brothers they were amazed, for they had never before seen 
Latins in that part of the world. And they said to the Brothers: " Gen- 
tlemen, if ye will take our counsel, ye will find great honor and profit shall 
come thereof." So they replied that they would be right glad to learn 
how. " In truth," said the Envoys, ''the Great Kaan hath never seen any 
Latins, and he hath a great desire so to do. Wherefore, if ye will 
keep us company to his Court, ye may depend upon it that he will be 
right glad to see you, and will treat you with great honor and liberality ; 
whilst in our company ye shall travel with perfect security, and need fear 
to be molested by nobody." 

So when the Two Brothers had made their arrangements, they set out 
on their travels, in company with the Envoys, and journeyed for a whole 
year, going northward and northeastward, before they reached the Court 
of that Prince. And on their journey they saw many marvels of divers 
and sundry kinds, but of these we shall say nothing at present, because 
Messer Mark, who has likewise seen them all, will give you a full account 
of them in the Book which follows. 

When the Two Brothers got to the Great Kaan, he received them with 
great honor and hospitality, and showed much pleasure at their visit, ask- 
ing them a great number of questions. First, he asked about the emper- 
ors, how they maintained their dignity and administered justice in their 
dominions ; and how they went forth to batt-le, and so forth. And then 
he asked the like questions about the kings and princes and other 
potentates. 

And then he inquired about the Pope and the Church, and about all 
that is done at Rome, and all the customs of the Latins. And the Two 
Brothers told him the truth in all its particulars, with order and good 
sense, like sensible men as they were ; and this they were able to do, as 
they knew the Tartar language well. 

When that Prince, whose name was CUBLAY Kaan, Lord of the Tar- 
tars all over the earth, and of all the kingdoms and provinces and terri- 
tories of that vast quarter of the world, had heard all that the Brothers 
had to tell him about the ways of the Latins, he was greatly pleased, and 
he took it into his head that he would send them on an Embassy to the 



26 



THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 



Pope. So he urgently desired them to undertake this mission along with 
one of his Barons ; and they replied that they would gladly execute all his 
commands as those of their Sovereign Lord. Then the Prince sent to sum- 
mon to his presence one of his Barons whose name was COGATAL, and 
desired him to get ready, for it was proposed to send him to the. Pope 
along with the Two Brothers. The Baron replied that he would execute 
the Lord's commands to the best of his ability. 

After this the Prince caused letters from himself to the Pope to be 
indited in the Tartar tongue, and committed them to the Two Brothers 
and to that Baron of his own, and charged them with what he wished 
them to say to the Pope. Now the contents of the letter were to this 
purport : He begged that the Pope would send as many as an hundred 




The Great Khan Delivering the Tablet of Gold to the Brothers. 

persons of our Christian faith; intelligent men, acquainted with the 
Seven Arts, well qualified to enter into controversy, and able clearly to 
prove by force of argument to idolaters and other kinds of folk, that the 
Law of Christ was best, and that all other religions were false and naught ; 
and that if they would prove this, he and all under him would become 
Christians and the Church's liegemen. Finally he charged his Envoys to 
bring back to him some Oil of the Lamp which burns on the Sepulchre 
of our Lord at Jerusalem. 

When the Prince had charged them with all his commission, he caused 
to be given them a Tablet of Gold, on which was inscribed that the three 
Ambassadors should be supplied with every thing needful in all the coun- 



RETURN OF THE ELDER POLOS. 27 

tries through which they should pass — with horses, with escorts, and, in 
short, with whatever they should require. And when they had made all 
needful preparations, the three Ambassadors took their leave of the Em- 
peror and set out. 

When they had travelled I know not how many days, the Tartar 
Baron fell sick, so that he could not ride, and being very ill, and unable 
to proceed farther, he halted at a certain city. So the Two Brothers 
judged best that they should leave him behind and proceed to carry out 
their commission ; and, as he was well content that they should do so, 
they continued their journey. And I can assure you, that whithersoever 
they went they were honorably provided with whatever they stood in 
need of, or chose to command. And this was owing to that Tablet of 
Authority from the Lord which they carried with them. 

So the}/ travelled on and on until they arrived at Layas in Hermenia, 
a journey which occupied them, I assure you, for three years. It took 
them so long because they could not always proceed, being stopped some- 
times by snow, or by heavy rains falling, or by great torrents which they 
found in an impassable state. 

'' The prologue goes on to say," remarked Frank, ** that 
the brothers travelled from Layas to Acre, where they arrived 
in the month of April, 1269, and learned that the Pope was dead. 
By the advice of the Legate (the representative of the Church) 
then at Acre, they went to Venice to wait for the selection of 
a new Pope, but in consequence of troubles in the Church 
they waited in vain for two years. Then, concluding that their 
mission could not be delayed any longer, they started on their 
return to the Great Khan, taking young Marco with them. 
While they were on their way, the Legate whom they had 
first met at Acre was chosen Pope. His name is not mentioned 
in the story, but a comparison of dates and incidents shows 
that he was Pope Gregory X. He supplied them with what 
they needed for their journey, including the oil from the lamp at 
Jerusalem, and appointed two priests to accompany them. 
When they reached Layas it was reported that a Saracen ruler 



2^ 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



was invading Hermenia ; the report alarmed the priests and they 
refused to go on, so that the three Polos continued without 
them. 

'' According to the prologue the journey to the court of 
the Great Khan consumed more than three years, owing to 
the bad weather and the severe cold they encountered. They 
found him at the great city of Kemenfu, of which we shall have 
more to say in another place. The book does not tell us 
whether they journeyed through Bokhara, which the elder 
Polos had previously visited. Bokhara was then and is now 

an important city of Central Asia, 
and it is easy to trace the route which 
the travellers followed. Hermenia 
is beyond doubt intended for Arme- 
nia, and Layas was its principal city. 
Fred will tell you more about it." 

'' Layas," said Fred, '' was better 
known as Ayas, and stood on the 
Gulf of Scanderoon at the north- 
eastern end of the Mediterranean. 
In the thirteenth century it was an 
important city and its ruins cover a 
Portrait of Pope Gregory X. large space. It had a castle which Still 

remains, and the present village stands inside its walls. The 
trade which formerly went there is now centred at Alexandretta, 
the port of Aleppo, on the other side of the gulf." 

''How would you go from Ayas to Acre?" one of the 
audience asked, '' or rather how do you suppose the Polos 
went ? " 

''If I were at Ayas to-day and wanted to go to Acre," 
responded the youth, " I should hire a sail-boat to take 
me across the gulf to Alexandretta. There I should find, 
once a v/eek, a steamer which would carry me along the coast of 
Syria to Acre, touching at Latakieh, Tripoli, and Beyrout. 
But the Polos did not go in that way ; they hired a ship for their 




/ 



/ 



KUBLAI KHAN. 



29 



first voyage, and on the second they were provided with a galley 
by the king of Hermenia. The steamer makes the voyage in 
three or four days, including the stoppages at the ports 
on the way, while it is probable that the galley was not less than 
a month in accomplishing it." 

'' What is meant by the ' seven arts ' ? " inquired another. 
'' They represented the whole of a liberal education," was the 
reply, '' and in classical times were supposed to mean, Rhetoric, 
Logic, Grammar, Arithmetic, Astronomy, Music, and Geometry. 
It was an elaboration," he continued, with a smile, '' of what 
the country boy in - _=. -. _ 

the old anecdote - ^^- 

calls the three R's 

— reading, 'riting, — ^ 

and 'rithmetic." "-"^ 

" If this is a prop- -_ 
er place for it," said ' 

another, '' I would >: 

like to hear some- 
thing about Kublai 
Khan." 

'' You will hear 
much about his 

court and govern- The Castle of Ayas. 

ment in the story of Marco Polo's travels," was the reply, '' but we 
may as well have something of his biography now. Kublai 
Khan was called in Chinese She-tsu, and also Hu-pe-li, and he 
is often mentioned in history as the Emperor or King of Cathay. 
He was the grandson of Genghis Khan, was born in the early 
part of the thirteenth century, and died in Peking in 1294. He 
was the king of what were known in history as the Western Tar- 
tars ; the Chinese were suffering from the inroads of the Eastern 
Tartars, and about the year 1250 they asked the aid of the 
Western Tartars to repel the invaders. The desired aid was 
given, but the result was not what the Chinese had expected. 




30 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



The Western Tartars took possession of the country, and In 
1260 Kublai Khan proclaimed himself Emperor of China, and 
put aside the rulers whom he came to assist. From that time 
till his death he governed the empire with a great deal of 
wisdom, made many conquests, and proved himself one of the 
most intelligent monarchs of the century. It is said that at 
one time he ruled from the Arctic Ocean to the Straits of 
Malacca, and from the Yellow Sea to the Euxine." _ 

''And now," said Fred, *' we will 
hear from the famous book how the 
travellers were received at Kublai's 
court." This was the signal for Frank 
who proceeded to read from the pro- 
logue : 

And what shall I tell you ? When the 
Two Brothers and Mark had arrived at that 
great city, they went to the Imperial Pal- 
ace, and there they found the Sovereign 
attended by a great company of Barons. 
So they bent the knee before him, and paid 
their respects to him, with all possible rev- 
erence, prostrating themselves on the 
ground. Then the Lord bade them stand up, 
and treated them with great honor, showing 
great pleasure at their coming, and asked many questions as to their wel- 
fare, and how they had sped. They replied that they had in verity sped 
well, seeing that they found the Kaan well and safe. Then they 
presented the credentials and letters which they had received from the 
Pope, which pleased him right well ; and after that they produced the 
Oil from the Sepulchre, and at that also he was very glad, for he set 
great store thereby. And next, spying Mark, who was then a young gal- 
lant, he asked who was that in their company ? "■ Sire," said his father, 
Messer Nicolo, *' 't is my son and your liegeman." '* Welcome is he too," 
quoth the Emperor. There was great rejoicing at the Court because of 




Tartar Mandarin and Attendant. 



i THE KHAN IS PLEASED WITH MARCO. 31 

their arrival ; and they met with attention and honor from everybody. 
So they abode at the Court with the other Barons. 

Now it came to pass that Marco, the son of Messer Nicolo, sped won- 
drously in learning the customs of the Tartars, as well as their language, 
their manner of writing, and their- practice of war ; in fact he came in 
brief space to know several languages and four sundry written characters. 
And he was discreet and prudent in every way, insomuch that the 
Emperor held him in great esteem. And so when he discerned Mark to 
have so much sense, and to conduct himself so well and beseemingly, he 
sent him on an ambassage of his, to a country which was a good six- 
months' journey distant. The young gallant executed his commission 
well and with discretion. Now he had taken note on several occasions 
that when the Prince's ambassadors returned from different parts of the 
world, they were able to tell him about nothing except the business on 
which they had gone, and that the Prince in consequence held them for 
no better than fools and dolts, and would say : ^' I had far liever hearken 
about the strange things, and the manners of the different countries you 
have seen, than merely be told of the business you went upon " ; — for he 
took great delight in hearing of the affairs of strange countries. Mark, 
therefore, as he went and returned, took great pains to learn about all 
kinds of different matters in the countries which he visited, in order to be 
able to tell about them to the Great Kaan. 

When Mark returned from his ambassage he presented himself before 
the Emperor, and after making his report of the business with which he 
was charged, and its successful accomplishment, he went on to give an 
.account, in a pleasant and intelligent manner, of all the novelties and 
strange things that he had seen and heard ; insomuch that the Emperor 
and all such as heard his story were surprised, and said : '^ If this young 
man live, he will assuredly come to be a person of great worth and 
ability." And so from that time forward he was always entitled Messer 
Marco Polo, and thus we shall style him henceforth in this Book of 
ours, as is but right. 

Thereafter Messer Marco abode in the Kaan's employment some 
seventeen years, continually going and coming, hither and thither, on the 
missions that were entrusted to him by the Lord, and sometimes, with 



32 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

the permission and authority of the Great Kaan, on his own private 
affairs. And, as he knew all the sovereign's ways, like a sensible man he 
always took much pains to gather knowledge of any thing that would be 
likely to interest him, and then on his return to Court he would relate every 
thing in regular order, and thus the Emperor came to hold him in great 
love and favor. And for this reason also he would employ him the 
oftener on the most weighty and most distant of his missions. These 
Messer Marco ever carried out with discretion and success, God be 
thanked. So the Emperor became ever more partial to him, and treated 
him with the greater distinction, and kept him so close to his person that 
some of the Barons waxed very envious thereat. And thus it came about 
that Messer Marco Polo had knowledge of, or had actually visited, a 
greater number of the different countries of the World than any other 
man ; the more that he was always giving his mind to get knowledge, 
and to spy out and inquire into every thing, in order to have matter to 
relate to the Lord. 

When the Two Brothers and Mark had abode with the Lord all that 
time that you have been told, having meanwhile acquired great wealth in 
jewels and gold, they began among themselves to have thoughts about 
returning to their own country ; and indeed it was time. For, to say 
nothing of the length and infinite perils of the way, when they con- 
sidered the Kaan's great age, they doubted whether, in the event of his 
death before their departure, they would ever be able to get home. They 
applied to him several times for leave to go, presenting their request with 
great respect, but he had such a partiality for them, and liked so much to 
have them about him, that nothing on earth would persuade him to let 
them go. 

Now it came to pass in those days that the Queen BOLGANA, wife of 
Argon, Lord of the Levant, departed this life. And in her Will she had 
desired that no Lady should take her place, or succeed her as Argon's 
wife, except one of her own family, which existed in Cathay. Argon 
therefore despatched three of his Barons, by name respectively OULATAY, 
Apusca, and CojA, as ambassadors to the Great Kaan, attended by a 
very gallant company, in order to bring back as his bride a lady of the 
family of Queen Bolgana, his late wife. 



DEPARTURE FOR A LONG VOYAGE. 33 

When these three Barons had reached the Court of the Great Kaan 
they dehvered their message explaining wherefore they were come. The 
Kaan received them with all honor and hospitality, and then sent for a 
lady whose name was COCACHIN, who was of the family of the deceased 
Queen Eolgana. She was a maiden of seventeen, a very beautiful and 
charming person, and on her arrival at Court she was presented to the 
three Barons as the Lady chosen in compliance with their demand. 
They declared that the Lady pleased them well. 

Meanwhile Messer Marco chanced to return from India, whither he 
had gone as the Lord's ambassador, and made his report of all the differ- 
ent things that he had seen in his travels, and of the sundry seas over 
which he had voyaged. And the three Barons, having seen that Messer 
Nicolo, Messer Maffeo, and Messer Marco were not only Latins, but men 
of marvellous good sense withal, took thought among themselves to get 
the three to travel with them, their intention being to return to their 
country by sea, on account of the great fatigue of that long land journey 
for a lady. And the ambassadors were the more desirous to have their 
company, as being aware that those three had great knowledge and 
experience of the Indian Sea and the countries by which they would have 
to pass, and especially Messer Marco. So they went to the Great Kaan 
and begged as a favor that he would send the three Latins with them, 
as it was their desire to return home by sea. 

The Lord, having that great regard that I have mentioned for those 
three Latins, was very loath to do so, and his countenance showed great 
dissatisfaction. But at last he did give them permission to depart, 
enjoining them to accompany the three Barons and the Lady. 

And when the Prince saw that the Two Brothers and Messer Marco 
were ready to set forth, he called them all three to his presence, and 
gave them two golden Tablets of Authority, which should secure them 
liberty of passage through all his dominions, and by means of which, 
whithersoever they should go, all necessaries would be provided for them, 
and for all their company, and whatever they might choose to order. 
He charged them also with messages to the King of France, the King of 
England, the King of Spain, and the other kings of Christendom. He 
then caused thirteen ships to be equipt, each of which had four masts 



34 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



and often spread twelve sails. And I could easily give you all particulars 
about these, but as it would be so long an affair I will not enter upon this 
now, but hereafter, when time and place are suitable. Among the said 
ships were at least four or five that carried crews of two hundred and fifty 
or two hundred and sixty men. 

And when the ships had been equipt, the Three Barons and the Lady, 
and the Two Brothers and Messer Marco, took leave of the Grand Kaan, 
and went on board their ships with a great company of people, and with 

all necessaries provided for two years 
by the Emperor. They put forth 
to sea, and after sailing for some 
three months they arrived at a certain 
Island toward the South, which is 
called Java, and in which there are 
many wonderful things which we 
shall tell you all about by and bye. 
Quitting this Island they continued 
to navigate the Sea of India for 
eighteen months more before they 
arrived whither they were bound, 
meeting on their way also with many 
marvels of which we shall tell here- 
after. 

And when they got there they 

found that Argon was dead, so the 

Lady was delivered to Casan, his son. 

But I should have told you that it is a fact that, when they embarked, 

they were in number some six hundred persons, without counting the 

mariners ; but nearly all died by the way, so that only eight survived. 

The sovereignty when they arrived was held by KlACATU, so they 
commended the Lady to him, and executed all their commission. And 
when the Two Brothers and Messer Marco had executed their charge in 
full, and done all that the Great Kaan had enjoined on them in regard to 
the Lady, they took their leave and set out upon their journey. And 
before their departure, Kiacatu gave them four golden Tablets of 




Ancient Chinese War Vessel. 



THE LADIES OF THE KHAN'S COURT. 



35 



Authority, two of which bore gerfalcons, one bore lions, whilst the fourth 
was plain, and having on them inscriptions which directed that the three 
Ambassadors should receive honor and service all through the land as if 
rendered to the Prince in person, and that horses and all provisions, and 
every thing necessary, should be supplied to them. And so they found 
in fact ; for throughout the country they received ample and excellent 
supplies of every thing needful ; and many a time indeed, as I may tell 
you, they were furnished with two hundred horsemen, more or less, to 
escort them on their way in safety. And this was all the more needful 




A Group of Chinese Ladies. 

because Kiacatu was not the legitimate Lord, and therefore the people 
had less scruple to do mischief than if they had had a lawful prince. 

Another thing, too, must be mentioned, which does credit to those 
three Ambassadors, and shows for what great personages they were held. 
The Great Kaan regarded them with such trust and affection, that he 
had confided to their charge the Queen Cocachin, as well as the daughter 
of the King of Manzi, to conduct to Argon, the Lord of all the Levant. 
And those two great ladies who were thus entrusted to them they 



36 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO, ^' 

watched over and guarded as if they had been daughters of their own, 
until they had transferred them to the hands of their Lord ; whilst the 
ladies, young and fair as they were, looked on each of those three as a 
father, and obeyed them accordingly. Indeed, both Casan, who is now 
the reigning prince, and the Queen Cocachin, his wife, have such a regard 
for the Envoys that there is nothing they would not do for them. And 
when the three Ambassadors took leave of that Lady to return to their 
own country, she wept for sorrow at the parting. 

What more shall I say? Having left Kiacatu they travelled day by 
day till they came to Trebizond, and thence to Constantinople, from 
Constantinople to Negropont, and from Negropont to Venice. And this 
was in the year 1295 of Christ's Incarnation. 

And now that I have rehearsed all the Prologue as you have heard, 
we shall begin the Book of the Description of the Divers Things that 
Messer Marco met with in his Travels. 

Frank took his seat as he finished the prologue and the 
President announced that explanations and questions would 
be in order. No one seemed inclined to speak first, and 
after waiting a few minutes Fred rose to his feet and called 
attention to the ceremony at the reception of the travellers. 

'* You may have observed," said he, " that they prostrated 
themselves on the ground. I believe this custom still prevails in 
many parts of Asia, and especially in China." 

''You are quite right," remarked Dr. Allen. ''It is the 
Chinese idea that no one can come into the presence of the 
emperor except by creeping on all fours, in the attitude and 
manner of a whipped dog, and the custom is rigorously main- 
tained so far as the natives of the country are concerned. 
When China began to have diplomatic relations with European 
countries she exacted the same conditions for the presentation of 
their ambassadors as for those of Asia ; of course no European 
or American representative would humiliate himself in this 
manner, and the consequence was that for a long time the 
ambassadors were never presented to the emperor. It is not 



r 


«l 


1 


1 


'/ 




I. 






38 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. \'. 

many years since the first presentation took place, and then the 
difficulty was overcome by arranging that the ambassadors 
should walk into the imperial audience hall and stand in a row in 
front of a curtain. The emperor would then take his place 
in his chair of state on the other side of the curtain, which 
was drawn aside as soon as all was ready. The ambassadors 
remained in their positions till the audience was ended and 
the curtain restored to its place. 

'' The enlightened rulers of Siam and Japan have abolished 
the old ceremony of creeping into their presence, and have 
adopted the manners of European courts. Other smaller 
sovereigns are following their example, and it is probable 
that even the conservative government of China may make a 
similar change before the end of the century." 

'' I observed," said one of the younger members, '' that the 
prologue says the travellers doubted whether they would be able 
to return to their own country in the event of the emperor's 
death. What is meant by that ? " 

'' It means," answered Fred, '' that there was much jealousy 
of them among the other barons and great men at the court, and 
if the emperor should happen to die there would be no one 
to protect them. Besides it might turn out that his successor 
would not care to have foreigners about him, and an easy way of 
getting rid of them would be to kill them. Human life was 
of less consequence then than now, and even at the present time 
it is not held at a high value in China. Executions are ordered 
for trivial offences, and sometimes for no cause at all. It is 
no wonder that the three Venetians wanted to get away from the 
country, especially as they had obtained all the wealth they 
desired and had been so long absent from their families and 
homes. On the other hand, it is not surprising that the emperor 
desired to retain them in his service on account of the intel- 
ligence they had shown, and especially in consideration of 
the accounts which Marco gave him of all the countries he 
visited in the missions he undertook under the imperial 
orders." 



A MARK OF HONOR. 



39 



" I wish," said another member of the Society, *' we had a 
picture of one of the tablets which the emperor gave to the 





Mtirdti'MttiJ., 

\v\\\\ Sn]-) e]^ s crip K 011 in & e U I G H U R Charac ter , 



Jbtnul iicm^Uif'. TnvcrDititju7\ 
1845. 



An Oriental Tablet (Showing Both Sides). 

travellers to secure them so much honor and respect on their 



40 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

journey. I suppose they resembled an official diploma or com- 
mission, or were something like a ' reward of merit,' such as 
we get at school." 

'' That is true," Fred replied ; *' I have been reading on 
the subject, and here is a drawing of an Oriental tablet. 
According to the description it was about twelve inches long 
by four in width, and was stamped or engraved with the name of 
the sovereign who gave it. Near one end there was a hole 
strengthened by a ring ; the tablet was suspended by a cord pass- 
ing through this hole around the owner's neck, in about the same 
way that a medal is worn by a prize pupil in one of our modern 
schools. 

'' The tablets were the equivalents of the decorations which 
are given by modern sovereigns, and had the same effect in 
securing honor to the holders of them. When Marco Polo dis- 
played the tablet which Kublai Khan had given him, he received 
the same distinction practically that is shown to the wearer 
of the Victoria Cross or the Star of the Legion of Honor. Per- 
haps, however, he received greater attentions, as decorations are 
far more numerous in our days than in those of the Emperor of 
Cathay." 

''The king's messengers," said Dr. Allen, ''were provided' 
with tablets which they fastened to the bridles of their horses, 
and so could be recognized by any one they met on the road. 
At this day a traveller in Northern Asia carries a govern- 
ment passport, which entitles him to call for horses at the 
posting stations. Perhaps this custom is directly descended 
from the times of Kublai Khan, and if we should pursue the 
subject further we might find ourselves indebted more than 
we imagine to the great ruler of Cathay. But it is getting 
late, and I move we adjourn." 

The motion was duly seconded and passed. Previous to 
declaring the session at an end the President announced that 
the next meeting would be devoted to the continuation of the 
story of Marco Polo. 



CHAPTER III. 

Marco Polo's Geographical Descriptions — Hermenia, Turcomania, Georgiania, Mausul, and 
Baudas — Strange Stories Concerning Those Countries — How a Great Miracle Was Wrought. 

At the opening of the third meeting Frank announced that he 
had not divided the prologue into chapters as he found it in the 
pubHshed versions, but had treated it as a connected story. In 
reading what follows the prologue he intended to follow the 
same plan, but would preserve the headings of the chapters, and 
let them appear in the form of what the printers call sub-heads. 
Some of the chapters were very short, and reminded him of the 
famous one on the snakes of Ireland in a history of that country ; 
others were of considerable length and would need to be 
abridged. Some of the less important chapters he would leave 
out altogether if he found the limited time would not permit an 
extended reading. 

With this brief explanation he resumed the reading of the 
narrative. 

BOOK I. 

HERE THE BOOK BEGINS ; AND FIRST IT SPEAKS OF THE LESSER 

HERMENIA. 

There are two Hermenias, the Greater and the Less. The Lesser 
Hermenia is governed by a certain King, who maintains a just rule in his 
dominions, but is himself subject to the Tartar. The country contains 
numerous towns and villages, and has every thing in plenty ; moreover, 
it is a great country for sport in the chase of all manner of beasts and 
birds. It is, however, by no means a healthy region, but grievously the 
reverse. In days of old the nobles there were valiant men, and did 
doughty deeds of arms ; but nowadays they are poor creatures, and good 

41 



42 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



at nought. Howbeit, they have a city upon the sea, which is called 
Layas, at which there is a great trade. For you must know that all the 
spicery, and the cloths of silk and gold, and the other valuable wares 
that come from the interior, are brought to that city. And the mer- 
chants of Venice and Genoa, and other countries, come thither to sell 
their goods, and to buy what they lack. And whatsoever persons would 
travel to the interior (of the East), merchants or others, they take their 
way by this city of Layas. 




A City of Armenia. 
CONCERNING THE PROVINCE OF TURCOMANIA. 
In TURCOAIANIA there are three classes of people. First, there are 
the Turcomans ; these are worshippers of Mahommet, a rude people with 
an uncouth language of their own. They dwell among mountains and 
downs where they find good pasture, for their occupation is cattle-keep- 
ing. Excellent horses, known as TurqiianSy are reared in their country, 
and also very valuable mules. The other two classes are the Armenians' 
and the Greeks, who live mixt with the former in the towns and vil- 
lages, occupying themselves with trade and handicrafts. They weave 
the finest and handsomest carpets in the world, and also a great quantity 
of fine and rich silks of cramoisy and other colors, and plenty of other 
stuffs. Their chief cities are CONIA, Savast, and Casapia, besides many 



ARMENIA AND TURCOMANIA.. 43 

other towns and Bishops' Sees, of which we shall not speak at present, for 
it would be too long a matter. These people are subject to the Tartar 
of the Levant as their Suzerain. We will now leave this province, and 
speak of the Greater Hermenia. 

'' The description of Armenia," said Fred, as Frank paused 
at the end of the second chapter, ''would answer very well for 
that country as it is to-day, except that it is under the Turkish 
Government instead of that of the Tartars. The city of Layas 
which has been mentioned already, is no longer in existence, its 
site being occupied 
by a few miserable 
huts scattered 
among the ruins. 
The Armenian mer- 
chants are among 
the shrewdest in the 
world, and they car- 
ry their commerce 
to Constantinople, 
Cairo,, and other 
cities of the East. 

''The Turco- 

. mans of the present a village in Turcomania. 

time are almost identical with those of six hundred years ago. 
They are worshippers of Mohammed, and have great flocks and 
herds of sheep and cattle ; they have good horses, and are excellent 
riders, and they wander from place to place in search of pasturage. 
But the Turcoman carpets are not now the finest in the world, 
neither are their silks famous for their excellence. The Armenians 
and Greeks among the Turcomans seem to be less numerous than 
in Marco's time, and it is probably owing to their absence that the 
manufacturing industries of the country have declined. The Turc- 
omans have a bad reputation, as they plunder their neighbors 
and waylay passing caravans. They are strict believers in the 




44 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



commands of the Koran, and when a stranger has eaten bread 
and salt with them he can feel perfectly safe as long as he is 
under their care. But as soon as he is out of their protection 
they would have no hesitation in killing him for the sake of his 
goods, or if they doubted his adherence to their religion. 

''Arminius Vambery in his 'Journey to Central Asia,'" 
Fred continued, ''gives an account of his sojourn among the 
Turcomans. He says they are among the most cruel man-stealers 
and slave-owners in the world, but at the same time are honest 




Turcomans Plundering a Caravan. 

In their transactions with each other, and perform many acts of 
charity and kindness through religious promptings. The chief 
of the caravan with which Vambery travelled carried a supply of 
water to give to thirsty pilgrims, but he treated his slaves with 
the greatest brutality, and once proposed to leave Vambery to 
perish in the desert on the mere suspicion that he might be an 
unbeliever." 

DESCRIPTION OF THE GREATER HERMENIA. 

This is a great country. It begins at a city called Arzinga, at which 
they weave the best buckrams in the world. It possesses also the best 



MO UNT ARARA T. 45 

baths from natural springs that are anywhere to be found. The people 
of the country are Armenians, and are subject to the Tartar. There are 
many towns and villages in the country, but the noblest of their cities 
is Arzinga, which is the See of an Archbishop, and then Arziron and 
Arzizi. 

The country is indeed a passing great one, and in the summer it is 
frequented by the whole host of the Tartars of the Levant, because it 
then furnishes them with such excellent pasture for their cattle. But in 
winter the cold is past all bounds, so in that season they quit this coun- 
try and go to a warmer region, where they find other good pastures. 
[At a castle called Paipurth, that you pass in going from Trebizond to 
Tauris, there is a very good silver mine.] 

And you must know that it is in this country of Hermenia that the 
Ark of Noah exists on the top of a certain great mountain, on the summit 
of which snow is so constant that no one can ascend ; for the snow never 
melts, and is constantly added to by new falls. Below, however, the 
snow does melt, and runs down, producing such rich and abundant 
herbage that in summer cattle are sent to pasture from a long way round 
about, and it never fails them. The melting snow also causes a great 
amount of mud on the mountain. 

The country is bounded on the south by a kingdom called Mosul, the 
people of which are Jacobite and Nestorian Christians, of whom I shall 
have more to tell you presently. On the north it is bounded by the Land 
of the Georgians, of whom also I shall speak. On the confines towards 
Georgiania there is a fountain from which oil springs in great abundance, 
insomuch that a hundred ship-loads might be taken from it at one time. 
This oil is not good to use wath food, but 't is good to burn, and is also 
used to anoint camels that have the mange. People come from vast dis- 
tances to fetch it, for in all the countries round about they have no other 
oil. 

OF GEORGIANIA AND THE KINGS THEREOF. 

In Georgiania there is a King called David MeHc, which is as much as 
to say " David King " ; he is subject to the Tartar. In old times all the 
kings were born with the figure of an eagle upon the right shoulder. The 



46 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



people are very handsome, capital archers, and most valiant soldiers. 
They are Christians of the Greek Rite, and have a fashion of wearing 
their hair cropped, like Churchmen. 

This is the country beyond which Alexander could not pass when 
he wished to penetrate to the region of the Ponent, because that the 
defile was so narrow and perilous, the sea lying on the one hand, and on 
the other lofty mountains impassable to horsemen. The strait extends 
like this for four leagues, and a handful of people might hold it against 







-••^ 




A Georgianian Fortress. From a Drawing Dated 1634. 

all the world. Alexander caused a very strong tower to be built there, 
to prevent the people beyond from passing to attack him, and this got 
the name of the IRON Gate. This is the place that the Book of Alexan- 
der speaks of, when it tells us how he shut up the Tartars between two 
mountains ; not that they were really Tartars, however, for there were no 
Tartars in those days, but they consisted of a race of people called Co- 
MANIANS and many besides. 

In this province all the forests are of box-wood. There are numer- 
ous towns and villages, and silk is produced in great abundance. They 



A MIRACLE OF FISHES. 4/- 

also weave cloths of gold, and all kinds of very fine silk stuffs. The 
country produces the best goshawks in the world, which are called Avigi. 
It has indeed no lack of any thing, and the people live by trade and handi- 
crafts. 'T is a very mountainous region, and full of strait defiles and of 
fortresses, insomuch that the Tartars have never been able to subdue it 
out and out. 

There is in this country a certain Convent of Nuns called St. Leonard's, 
about which I have to tell you a very wonderful circumstance. Near the 
church in question there is a great lake at the foot of a mountain, and in 
this lake are found no fish, great or small, throughout the year till Lent 
come. On the first day of Lent they find in it the finest fish in the 
world, and great store too thereof ; and these continue to be found till 
Easter Eve. After that they are found no more till Lent come round 
again ; and so 't is every year. 'T is really a passing great miracle ! 

That sea whereof I spoke as coming so near the mountains is called 
the Sea of Ghel or Ghelan, and extends about 700 miles. It is twelve 
days' journey distant from any other sea, and into it flows the great River 
Euphrates and many others, whilst it is surrounded by mountains. Of 
late the merchants of Genoa have begun to navigate this sea, carrying 
ships across and launching them thereon. It is from the country on this 
sea also that the silk called GJiellc is brought. The said sea produces 
quantities of fish, especially sturgeon, at the river-mouths salmon, and 
other big kinds of fish. 

'' Arzinga is the Erzingan of to-day," said Fred, as Frank 
paused. '' The hot springs are not to be found, though they are 
said to exist in the mountains a few miles away, and as for the 
buckrams (coarse linen cloth), their weaving is no longer practised. 
But they are mentioned by writers two or three centuries later than 
Marco Polo, and it is reasonable to suppose he told the truth 
about them. 

** Arziron is the modern Erzeroom, and Arzizi stands for 
Arjish, both well-known towns in Asiatic Turkey. Paipurth (the 
modern Baiburt), is on the road between Trebizond and Erze- 
room, and has a castle which was blown up by the Russians in 



<8 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



1829. There are some mines of silver and lead a few miles 
away, and altogether the story of Marco is very easy to identify. 
The tradition that Noah's ark still rested on Mount Ararat pre- 
vailed in Marco's time and at a later period. It is probable that 
in his day the mountain had never been ascended, and there is no 
record of any one having reached the summit until 1829." 

Some one interrupted the speaker to ask the height of Mount 
Ararat and who had first climbed it. 

''The mountain is 16,953 feet in height," was the reply, 
*' and the first person to stand on its summit was an English- 




The Castle of Baiburt. 

man named Parrot. A Russian engineer climbed It five years 
later, and since that time several travellers and surveyors have 
made the journey. The ascent Is very fatiguing but the view 
from the top is said to be one of the finest In the world." 

Fred having completed his brief account of Mount Ararat 
continued his observations upon the journey of the great 
Venetian. 

" Georgiania is doubtless that part of Armenia now known as 
Georgia, from which the Turks are said to buy the most beautiful 
women for wives. Marco is cautious in speaking of the eagles 
upon the shoulders of the kings at the time of their birth ; he 



^AJV ORIENTAL CASTLE. 



49 



refers the phenomenon to * old times ' and does not claim it as 
belonging to his own day." 

'' Box- wood is what the engravers use for cutting pictures to 




View of Derbend. 

print in books, is it not ? " one of the younger members of the 
Society inquired. 

Fred was not prepared to answer, and consequently turned an 
inquiring look in Dr. Allen's direction. 



50 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

"Yes," answered the doctor, ''box-wood is the only material 
which answers the engraver's purpose, though many things have 
been tried as substitutes. Our' best box-wood comes from 
Turkey, and probably from the very region visited by Marco. It 
is becoming scarce and dear ; all the large trees have been cut 
and the forests will be exhausted at no distant day. Spain, 
France, and other European countries produce it, but the quality 
is inferior to that of the Turkish article." 

'' And now we come to the fish story," said Fred as the doc- 
tor concluded. '' It was customary to tell marvellous legends 
about fish in those days as in ours, and Marco was not unlike 
the gentlemen who make wonderful catches of salmon and 
striped bass in the waters of the United States or Canada. 

'' The legend about the fish appearing only in Lent has been 
applied to lakes and rivers elsewhere, so we will not trouble our- 
selves about it. The great lake or sea which he mentions is the 
Caspian, but he is wrong when he makes the Euphrates flow into 
it. The iron gate of Alexander is the pass of Derbend ; the 
Turks of to-day call it the Demir-Kapi or 'Iron Gate,' and a 
wall can be traced along the ridge of the Caucasus, which bears 
an Arab name equivalent to 'The Ramparts of Alexander.' 
There is another wall farther to the southeast, which is called by 
the same name, and was followed by Vambery for a considerable 
distance." 

"Are there any other questions?" the president asked. 

" Marco mentions a fountain of oil," said one of the audience. 
" Is there really such a fountain in Armenia ? " 

"He probably referred to the springs of petroleum on the 
western shore of the Caspian Sea," said Fred. " They are in 
the neighborhood of Baku, which you can find on the map, and 
have been known for thousands of years. Persia and Central 
Asia have long been supplied from Baku, and in the last few 
years speculators have developed the petroleum wells there, and 
are sending large quantities of the product all over Europe. 
The petroleum industry of the Caspian Sea promises to be a 



MAUSUL AND THE CURDS, 51 

formidable rival to the petroleum industry of the United States. 
By ' ship-loads ' Marco probably meant ' camel-loads,' but if he 
were writing to-day he wouM be correct, as there are many 
steamers on the Black and Caspian seas and on the Volga River 
entirely occupied with the transportation of petroleum." 

OF THE KINGDOM OF MAUSUL. 

On the frontier of Hermenia towards the southeast is the kingdom of 
Mausul. It is a very great kingdom, and inhabited by several different 
kinds of people whom we shall now describe. 

First there is a kind of people called Arabi, and these worship 
Mahommet. Then there is another description of people who are NeS- 
TORIAN and Jacobite Christians. These have a Patriarch, whom they 
call the Jatolic, and this Patriarch creates Archbishops, and Abbots, and 
Prelates of all other degrees, and sends them into every quarter, as to 
India, to Baudas, or to Cathay, just as the Pope of Rome does in the 
Latin countries. P^or you must know that though there is a very great 
number of Christians in those countries, they are all Jacobites and 
Nestorians ; Christians indeed, but not in the fashion enjoined by the 
Pope of Rome, for they come short in several points of the Faith. 

All the cloths of gold and silk that are called Mosolins are made in 
this country ; and those great Merchants called Mosolins^ w^ho carry for 
sale such quantities of spicery and pearls and cloths of silk and gold, are 
also from this kingdom. 

There is yet another race of people who inhabit the mountains in that 
quarter, and are called CuRDS. Some of them are Christians, and some 
of them are Saracens ; but they are an evil generation, whose delight it is 
to plunder merchants. 

Near this province is another called Mus and Merdin, producing an 
immense quantity of cotton, from which they make a great deal of 
buckram and other cloth. The people are craftsmen and traders, and all 
are subject to the Tartar King. 

'' It is hardly necessary to say," remarked Fred, " that by 



52 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



Mausul is meant Mosool or Mosul, which you can easily find on 
the map. Dr. Allen has been there and can tell you about it." 

'' Mosool has not greatly changed since Marco Polo's time," 
said the doctor, who had been brought to his feet by Fred's 
observation. " It is on the right bank of the Tigris, about two 
hundred and twenty miles above Bagdad, and has a population 
of fifty thousand or more. Muslin derives its name from the 
city, which formerly supplied Europe with large quantities of 
that article. At present its fabrics are coarser than they used to 
be, and their reputation is gone. The bazaars of Mosool are 




View in a Bazaar at Mosool. 

large, and some of them are very handsome. There is one 
which has a high roof over a broad street, and forms a delightful 
lounging-place in a hot afternoon." 

'' Have n't I read that Mosool is near the ancient Nineveh ?" 
inquired one of the younger members of the Society. 

'' Doubtless you have," the doctor answered. *' The ruins 
of Nineveh are on the opposite side of the river, and there is a 
bridge of boats leading to it. I crossed on this bridge along with 
a caravan of camels, and reached the ruins of the ancient city 
in a ride of about an hour. There are mounds of rubbish and 



THE RUINS OF NINEVEH. 



53 



broken stones covering several square miles of ground ; the guide 
showed me where Layaird and others had made excavations, and 
if you wish a full account of what was found there, '^ advise you 
to read Mr. Layard's book. This gentleman found rJ^e ruins of 
several palaces ; the largest of them covered a hundrt^d acres, 
and was said to have been built by Sennacherib nearly -three 
thousand years ago. Marco was too busy with his commercial 
and other affairs to give any attention to Nineveh, and it is qu^te 
possible that he never heard of it \ 




Bridge of Boats over the Tigris at Mosool. 

" The population of Mosool at the present time resembles 
that which Marco describes. Though the city is under Turkish 
rule, nearly a fourth of the inhabitants are Christians, while the 
rest are divided among Turks, Arabs, Jews, and Kurds. The 
Kurds maintain their old reputation for robbery and treachery, 
and have not in any sense improved with age. 

'■ Mus and Merdin still exist, but neither of them is of any 
consequence. 

" And now," continued the doctor, " Frank will read Marco's 
account of Baudas, the modern Bagdad. By Bastra he means 
Basra or Bassarah, an important port near the mouth of the 



-. THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

54 

Tigris. The usual way of going from Mosool to Bagdad is by 
boats or rafti^ on the river, but the upward journey generally 
follows the land. In some places the road is cut into the sides 
of the m^^i^tains and is very dangerous ; accidents are not un- 
commo^' and the robbers have an unpleasant way of attacking 
cara'^^s and solitary travellers in these narrow defiles, where 
(j^:ince is very difficult or impossible." 

OF THE GREAT CITY OF BAUDAS, AND HOW IT WAS TAKEN. 

Baudas is a great city, which used to be the seat of the Calif of all 
the Saracens in the world, just as Rome is the seat of the Pope of all the 




Bridge of Boats and Coffee-House at Bagdad. 

Christians. A very great river flows through the city, and by this you 
can descend to the Sea of India. There is a great traffic of merchants 
with their goods this way ; they descend some eighteen days from 
Baudas, and then come to a certain city called KiSI where they enter the 
Sea of India. There is also on the river, as you go from Baudas to Kisi, 
a great city called Bastra, surrounded by woods, in which grow the best 
dates in the world. 

In Baudas they weave many different kinds of silk stuffs and gold 
brocades, such as nastch, and nac, and cramoisy, and many other beautiful 



THE [ CAPTURE OF BA GDAD. 5 5 

\. 
tissues richly wrought witp figures of beasts and birds. It is the noblest 
and greatest city in all those regions. 

Now it came to pass on a day in the year of Christ 1255, that the 
Lord of the Tartars of the Levant, whose name was Alaii, brother to the 
Great Kaan now reigning, gathered a mighty host and came, up against 
Baudas and took it by storm. It was a great enterprise! for in Baudas 
there were more than 100,000 horse, besides foot soldiers. And when 
Alaii had taken the place he found therein a tower of the Calif's, which 
was full of gold and silver and other treasure ; in fact the greatest accu- 
mulation of treasure in one spot that was ever known. When he beheld 
that great heap of treasure he was astonished, and, summoning the Calif 
to his presence, he said to him : " Calif, tell me now why thou hast 
gathered such a huge treasure ? What didst thou mean to do therewith ? 
Knewest thou not that I was thine enemy, and that I was coming against 




Banks of the Tigris above Bagdad. 

thee with so great an host to cast thee forth of thine heritage ? Where- 
fore didst thou not take of thy gear and employ it in paying knights and 
soldiers to defend thee and thy city ? " 

The Calif wist not what to answer, and said never a word. So the 
Prince continued : " Now then, Calif, since I see what a love thou hast 
borne thy treasure, I will e'en give it thee to eat ! " So he shut the 
Calif up in the Treasure Tower, and bade that neither meat nor drink 
should be given him, saying : '' Now, Calif, eat of thy treasure as much as 
thou wilt, since thou art so found of it ; for never shalt thou have aught 
else to eat ! " 

So the Calif lingered in the tower four days, and then died like a dog. 
Truly his treasure would have been of more service to him had he be- 
stowed it upon men who would have defended his kingdom and his 



56 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

people, rather than let himself be taken and deposed and put to death as 
he was. Howbeit, since that time, there has been never another Calif, 
either at Baudas or anywhere else. 

Now I will tell you of a great miracle that befel at Baudas, wrought by 
God on bejialf of the Christians. 

HOW THE CALIF OF BAUDAS TOOK COUNSEL TO SLAY ALL THE 
CHRLSTIANS IN HIS LAND. 

There was a Calif at Baudas who bore a great hatred to Christians, 
and was taken up day and night with the thought how he might either 
bring those that were in his kingdom over to his own faith, or might pro- 
cure them all to be slain. And he used daily to take counsel about this 
with the devotees and priests of his faith, for they all bore the Christians 
like malice. And, indeed, it is a fact, that the whole body of Saracens 
throughout the world are always most malignantly disposed toward the 
whole body of Christians. 

Now it happened that the Calif, with those shrewd priests of his, got 
hold of that passage in our Gospel which says, that if a Christian had 
faith as a grain of mustard seed, and should bid a mountain be removed, 
it would be removed. The Calif therefore called together all the Chris- 
tians in his territories, who were extremely numerous. And when they 
had come before him, he showed them the Gospel, and made them read 
the text which I have mentioned. And when they had read it he asked 
them if that was the truth ? The Christians answered that it assuredly 
was so. " Well," said the Calif, ^'^ since you say that it is the truth, I will 
give you a choice. Among such a number of you there must needs 
surely be this small amount of faith ; so you must either move that 
mountain there " — and he pointed to a mountain in the neighborhood — 
" or you shall die an ill death ; unless you choose to eschew death by all 
becoming Saracens and adopting our Holy Law. To this end I give you 
a respite of ten days ; if the thing be not done by that time, ye shall die 
or become Saracens." 

HOW THE CHRISTIANS WERE IN GREAT DISMA\ BECAUSE OF WHAT 

THE CALIF HAD SAID. 

The Christians on hearing what the Calif had said were in great dis- 
may, but they lifted all their hopes to God their Creator, that He would 



f' 



NG A MOUNTAIN. 



57 



\ait. 



help them in this ' 
counsel together, an 
but they had no resc 
things do come, bese^ 
of the Calif. 

So they were all gath^ 
for eight days and eight nigi. 
prayer it was revealed in a visic 
Bishop who was a very good ^ 
Christian Cobler, who had but ( 
in His goodness would grant su 
Hfe. 



^nP^st^^ 



All the wisest of the Christians took 

hem were a number of bishops and priests, 

t to turn to Him from whom all good 

to protect them from the cruel hands 



:her in prayer, both men and women, 

id whilst they were thus engaged in 

a Holy Angel of Heaven to a certain 

'an, that he should desire a certain 

ye, to pray to God ; and that God 

prayer because of the Cobler's holy 




One of the Gates of Bagdad. 



HOW THE ONE-EYED COBLER WAS DESIRED TO PRAY FOR THE 

CHRISTIANS. 

Now when this vision had visited the Bishop several times, he related 
the whole matter to the Christians, and they agreed with one consent to 
call the Cobler before them. And when he had come they told him it 
was their wish that he should pray, and that God had promised to accom- 
plish the matter by his means. On hearing their request he made many 



Y 



58 TUB TRA VELS OF MAR, ^LO. 

excuses, declaring that he was not at all sf a man as they repre- 

Isented. But they persisted in their request luch sweetness, that 

at last he said he would not tarry, but do lesired. 

HOW THE PRAYER OF THE ONE-EYED/ jseD THE MOUNTAIN 

TO Moy 

And when the appointed day wa( ^ all the Christians got up 

early, men and women, small and gr^ jre than 100,000 persons, and 
went to church, and heard the Hoi/ ,s. And after Mass had been 
sung, they all went forth together ./ reat procession to the plain in 
front of the mountain, carrying th\ xious cross before them, loudly 
singing and greatly weeping as they \ it. And when they arrived at the 
spot, there they found the Calif with Jl his Saracen host armed to slay 
them if they would not change their fi,ith ; for the Saracens believed not 
in the least that God would grant su(^'j favor to the Christians. These 
latter stood indeed in great fear and-'doubt, but nevertheless they rested 
their hope on their God. / 

So the Cobler received the 'Bists^^p's benison, and then threw himself 
on his knees before the Holy Cross, and stretched out hia hands toward 
Heaven, and made this prayer: " Blessed Lc- ^'o-OD Almighty, I pray 
Thee by Thy goodness that Thou wilt grant this grace unto Thy people 
insomuch that they perish not, nor Thy faith be cast down, nor abused 
nor flouted. Not that I am in the least worthy to prefer such request 
unto Thee ; but for Thy great power and mercy I beseech Thee to hear 
this prayer from me Thy servant full of sin." 

And when he had ended this his prayer to God the Sovereign Father 
and Giver of all grace, and whilst the Calif and all the Saracens, and 
other people there, were looking on, the mountain rose out of its place 
and moved to the spot which the Calif had pointed out ! And when the 
Calif and all his Saracens beheld, they stood amazed at the wonderful 
miracle that God had wrought for the Christians, insomuch that a great 
number of the Saracens became Christians. And even the Calif caused 
himself to be baptized, and became a Christian, but in secret. Howbeit, 
when he died they found a little cross hung round his neck ; and there- 
fore the Saracens would not bury him with the other Califs, but put him 



THF^^^'^ISERL V CALIF OF BAGDAD. 59 



in a place apart. iTL ',Christians exulted greatly at this most holy 
miracle, and returned t( cheir homes full of joy, giving thanks to their 
Creator for that whi^h Pi had done. 

And now you hri-ve heard in what wise took place this great miracle. 
And marvel not that the Saracens hate the Christians ; for the accursed 
law that Mahomme^t gave them commands them to do all the mischief in 
their power to a.11 other descriptions of people, and especially to Chris- 
tians ; to strip such of their goods, and do them all manner of evil, 
because they belong not to their law. See then what an evil law and 
what naughty commandments they have ! But in such fashion the 
Saracens act, throughout the world. 

"• The story of the miserly CaHf of Bagdad," said the doctor, 
'' has been touched by many writers. Longfellow has done it 
into verse, which Fred will read." 

Fred complied with the suggestion and read the following : 

'' ' I said to the Kalif : Thou art old ; 

Thou hast no need of so much gold. 

Thou shouldst not have heaper and hidden it here 

Till the breath of Battle was hot and near, 

But have sown through the land these useless hoards, 

To spring into shining blades of swords, 

And keep thine honor sweet and clear. 

4f -;f -^ -K- -x- -jf- 

Then into his dungeon I locked the drone. 

And left him there to feed all alone 

In the honey-cells of his golden hive : 

Never a prayer nor a cry nor a groan 

Was heard from those massive walls of stone, 

Nor again was the Kalif seen alive.' 

This is the story strange and true, 

That the great Captain Alaii 

Told to his brother, the Tartar Khan, 

When he rode that day into Cambalu 

By the road that leadeth to Ispahan." 



6o THE TRA VELS OF MARCO/ 'pcLO. 

" The miracle of the moving of the m/ ntaid, which is in a 
Allen, ''is an excellent specimen of the sj riesjge. ^^id in 

those days. It was doubtless borrowe<j fronve;^^ jyloslems or 
from the mythology of India, which a'boundi in miracles per- 
formed by the heathen gods. I will give ybu one of these 
stories, by way of illustration, which is in the sacred books of India. 

" A goddess in Ceylon was suffering one day with a headache, 
and it was decided that she could only be cured by rubbing with 
a plant that grew on one of the mountains of the Himalayas, two 
thousand miles away. A messenger was sent to bring the plant, 




Tower of Nimrod, the Mighty Hunter. 

and in three hours he had traversed the entire distance, and 
stood on the mountain. But it was night when he arrived there, 
and as he could not see the plant, he took the mountain on his 
shoulders and carried it to Ceylon ; as soon as the plant had been 
obtained, he carried the mountain back again and had it in its 
place before morning. While crossing the plains of Central India 
he stumbled and came near falling with his burden. The people 
on the mountain thought it was an earthquake, but as he did not 
let the mountain fall to the ground they were not seriously dis- 
turbed. Several large stones were shaken off and fell on the 



p^D RAILWAY TO BAGDAD, 6i 

feet high, which i^ey'me to this day. If any one in conversation 
with'TJqin of Shinaiibtljcthe truth of the story, he is referred to the 
stones on tnc /heri as tlconvincing proof. 

*' But I promised to tell you about Bagdad. It is a city of 
about one hundred thousand inhabitants, lying on both banks 
of the Tigris, which is crossed by two bridges of boats. It was 
probably much larger in Marco's time than at present, as it was 
then the centre of a very important trade, and was famous for its 
manufactures ; there is still a large commerce at Bagdad, and a 




Tomb of Zobeida, Wife of Haroun al Raschid. 



line of steamboats runs regularly between the city and the ports 
of the Persian Gulf, where they connect with ocean steamers 
running to India and Europe. A railway has been projected 
between Bagdad and the Mediterranean by way of Aleppo and 
Alexandretta, and perhaps some of you may travel by that route 
within a few years. Many of the stories of the Arabian Nights' 
Entertainments are located at Bagdad, and you have all read of 
the great caliph, Haroun al Raschid, who is the hero of some of 
the tales, and to whom the city owed much of its beauty and 
grandeur. One of the objects of interest near the city is the 



62 • THE TRA VELS OF MARC6 "^k 

tomb of Zobeida, the wife of Haroun al J lSc) 
good state of preservation in spite of its g ^at j 

'' The bazaars of Bagdad are numeroi and ry well stocked 
with goods ; the picture of the Bazaar Mosool will answer for 
that of the principal bazaar of Bagdad, as they are both built on 
the same plan. The population is of the same general character 
as that of Mosool, and the city and district of Bagdad are ruled 
by a Pasha appointed from Constantinople. 

'' The ruins of Babylon are about fifty miles from Bagdad, 
and I could not resist the temptation to visit them, though the 




Ruins of Bahvlon. 



journey was said to be dangerous on account of robbers, and the 
heat on the plains between the Tigris and Euphrates is very great 
at the time of year when I was there. There is no carriage road, 
and I had the choice of riding on a camel or a horse. I chose 
the latter, and after crossing the Tigris we had a hard journey 
over the plain. 

'' The walls of the ancient city can be traced and the position 
of the celebrated Hanging Gardens has been identified by one of 
the explorers who has given considerable study to the subject. 
There is a mound of bricks and rubbish, a hundred and twenty 



A BRICK FROM BAB YLON. 63 

feet high, which is s 4 to be the Tower of Babel ; it stands on 
the Plain of Shinar a^.d corresponds to the location given in the 
Bible. Then there is the Castle of Nimrod, 'The Mighty Hun- 
ter,' another mass of bricks not far from the city, but it is so 
much decayed that its original character can only be guessed. 

'* Babylon stood on both sides of the Euphrates, but the 
river has changed its course so that the ruins are several miles 
from its present banks. You will remember that Babylon has 
the credit of having originated printing, as the bricks of which 
her walls and palaces were built present the name of Nebuchad- 
nezzar stamped into the clay at the time of moulding." 



^ 




Tower of Babel and Plain of Shinar. 

As the doctor spoke he turned to a cabinet at his side and 
brought from it a large brick of a yellowish color and about thir- 
teen inches square by three and a half in thickness. '' This," 
said he, '' is one of the bricks of which the great palace of Baby- 
lon was built ; the stamp on one side in Assyrian characters is 
the name of the famous king, and is the earliest specimen of 
printing or stamping of which we have authentic knowledge." 

The brick was handed round and examined with great care, 
and in a little while returned to its place in the cabinet. It was 
in excellent condition, and showed that its makers understood 



64 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO ihlO. 

i 

their business. The clay was evidently of / ^se same kind as that 
from which the well-known '' Milwaukee U-ricks " are manufac- 
tured. 

During the examination of this relic of the great city of the 
Euphrates, Dr. Allen continued to talk about Bagdad and its 
peculiarities. , 

'' For four months of the year," said he^ '' the climate is delight- 
ful ; for another four months it is endurable ; and for the rest of 
the year the heat is so great that the inhabitants take shelter in 
their cellars and do not venture out in the daytime. The ther- 
mometer goes to one hundred and twenty degrees in the shade, 
while in the sun it seems near the boiling point. Sometimes the 
Tigris overflows its banks and drowns k great many people, and 
sometimes the plague comes there and threatens to depopulate 
the city; in 1831 it killed four thoiis^nd people daily for nearly 
a week ! But the most curious disease of Bagdad is the ^ date- 
miark,' or 'Aleppo button.' " 

'' What is that ? " asked several of the party, almost in the 
same breath. 

'' It is known through the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates 
and as far north as Aleppo. It comes once in a lifetime, and 
nearly every inhabitant of the country suflers from it. The cause 
of it is unknown ; it is an obstinate but painless sore, either 
round or oval, and lasts for twelve months and no longer. With 
some persons it does not come until middle life or later, while 
others are attacked during their youth. Men from Europe have 
lived twenty years in the country without suffering from it, and 
on the other hand, travellers passing through hastily have been 
afflicted with the Aleppo button either during or after their jour- 
ney. It leaves an indelible scar, which is of the color of a date at 
first, but afterward fades till it presents the same shade as the 
skin." 

" Can't it be cured ? " some one inquired. 

'' Yes," replied the doctor, '' but curing it does very little good. 
It will heal after being burned several times with caustic, but it 



''' THE ALEPPO BUTTON. " 65 

i 
breaks out somewhe else in a month or two and runs its course. 
I knew an Englishm 1 who had the sore cauterized and cured 
seven months after it broke out. Six weeks later it appeared in 
two places instead of one and lasted for five months. At the 
end of that time it healed of its own accord, and he had no fur- 
ther trouble." 

'' He did not make much by healing the wound," remarked 
the questioner, and in the laugh that followed his observation 
the meeting adjourned. 



[' 



CHAPTKR IV.- 

Tenu antl lis iMvuitinN — i'rovintcs una i;itic%, Anticm an^ Modem^Thc J'arsccN an«i Their 
Workhip of Kirc — How Tentia I* GovcmctI — Corrupiiop of Of}icul&- Slohc» of KnchanU 
menlA — Dry Fog« and Dukt-Stomu— Oxen Trained to irot. 

Tin: next meeting was called to I order promptly at the 
appointed hour. Before beginning to r/*ad, 1^'rank explained that 
Tauris, which Marco was about to describe, is better known to- 
day as Tabreez. It is still a place ofymuch importance, though 
less noted than in Marco's time ; it h:\k manufactories of silk and 
cotton goods, and its population ei^teeds a hundred thousand. 
In the fourteenth century it contairved colonies of Venetian and 
Genoese merchants, but at present only a few Europeans live 
there. Its fruit gardens continue to be celebrated, its peaches 
and apricots being among the finest in the world. Some of its 
mosques are fine specimens^ of architecture, but most of them are 
sadly falling into ruin. 

With this explanation hv proceeded to read from the book. 

OF THE NOBLE CITY OF TAURIS. 

I AtJRIS is a great and noble city, situated in a great province called 
\ iv.vc, in which are many other towns and villages. But as Tauris is the 
most noble I will tell you about it. 

The men of Tauris get their living by trade and handicrafts, for they 
weave many kinds of beautiful and valuable stuffs of silk and gold. The 
city has such a good position that merchandise is brought thither from 
India. Raudas, Cremesor, and many other regions; and that attracts 
many Latin merchants, especially Genoese, to buy goods and transact 
other business there ; the more as it is also a great market for precious 
stones. It is a city, in fact, where merchants make large profits. 

The people of the place arc themselves poor creatures, and are a great 

66 



A TERRIBLE EARTHQUAKE. 



67 



medley of different class j^. There are Armenians, Nestorians, Jacobites, 

Georgians, Persians, and 

finally the natives of the 

city themselves, who are 

worshippers of Mahom- 

met. These last are a 

very evil generation ; they 

are known as TaURIZI. 

The city is all girt round 

with charming gardens, j^Sj 

full of many varieties of ^Slit-^^^^ 



large and excellent fruits, z^ 

Now we will quit Tau- 
ris, and speak of the _ 

great country of Persia. f^oorway of a Ruined Mosque at Tabreez. 

From Tauris to Persia is a journe>%)f twelve days. 




I 



thought Tabreez was a city of Persia," said one of the 
listeners, '' but Marco speaks of a 
journey of twelve days from Tauris 
to Persia." 

'' In Marco's time," said Frank, 
" Tabreez was a city of Armenia, 
but it fell into the possession of the 
Persians in 1730. It has been cap- 
tured several times by • the Turks 
and other invaders, and has suffered 
severely from earthquakes. In one 
earthquake eighty thousand persons 
are said to have perished, and all 
the large buildings were thrown down. 
Although a city of Persia, its inhab- 
itants are principally Turks, and 
the Turkish language is generally 
spoken." 




Persian Lady in Walking Dress 



68 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



OF THE MONASTERY OF SAINT BARSAMO ON T/ ,E BORDERS OF TAURIS. 

On the borders of (the territory of) Tauris there is a monastery called 
after Saint Barsamo, a most devout Saint. There is an Abbot, with 
many Monks, who wear a 
habit like that of the Car- 
melites, and these to avoid 
idleness are continually knit- 
ting woollen girdles. These 
they place upon the altar of 
St. Barsamo during the ser- 
vice, and when they go beg- 
ging about the province (like 
the Brethren of the Holy 
Spirit) they present them to 
their friends and to the gen- 
tlefolks, for they are excel- 
lent things to remove bodily 




Persian Lady at Home. 



pain ; wherefore every one is devoutly eager to possess them. 



OF THE GREAT COUNTRY OF PERSIA; WITH SOME ACCOUNT OF THE 

THREE KINGS. 

Persl\ is a great country, which was in old times very illustrious and 
powerful ; but now the Tartars have wasted and destroyed it. 

In Persia is the city of Saba, from which the Three Magi set out when 
they went to worship Jesus Christ; and in this city they are buried, in 
three very large and beautiful monuments side by side. And above them 
there is a square building, carefully kept. The bodies are still entire, with 
the hair and beard remaining. Messer Marco Polo asked a great many 
questions of the people of that city as to those Three Magi, but never 
one could he find that knew aught of the matter, except that these were 
three kings who were buried there in days of old. However, at a, place 
three days' journey distant he heard of what I am going to tell you. He 
found a village there which goes by the name of Cala Ataperistan, 
which is as much as to say, '' The Castle of the Fire-worshippers." And 



THE ST^ORY OF THE THREE KINGS. 



69' 



the name is rightly applied, for the people there do worship fire, and I 
will tell you why. ' 

They relate that in old times three kings of that country went away to 
worship a Prophet that was born, and they carried with them three 
manner of offerings, Gold, and Frankincense, and Myrrh ; in order to 
ascertain whether that Prophet were God, or an earthly King, or a Physi- 
cian. For, said they, if he take the Gold, then he is an earthly King ; if 
he take the Incense he is Gpd ; if he take the Myrrh he is a Physician. 

So it came to pass when they had come to the place where the Child 
was born, the youngest of the 
Three Kings went in first, and 
found the Child apparently just 
of his own age ; so he went forth 
again marvelling greatly. The 
middle one entered next, and 
like the first he found the Child 
seemingly of his own age ; so 
he also went forth again and 
marvelled greatly. Lastly, the 
eldest went in, and as it had 
befallen the other two, so it 
befel him. And he went forth 
very pensive. And when the 
three had rejoined one another, 
each told what he had seen ; 
and then they all marvelled the 
more. So they agreed to go in Entrance to a Persian City, 

all three together, and on doing so they beheld the Child with the ap- 
pearance of its actual age, to wit, some thirteen days. Then they adored, 
and presented their Gold and Incense and Myrrh. And the Child took 
all the three offerings, and then gave them a small, closed box ; where- 
upon the Kings departed to return into their own lando 




70 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO, 

I 

WHAT BEFEL WHEN THE THREE KINGS RETURNED TO THEIR OWN 

COUNTRY. 

And when they had ridden many days, the)^: said they would see what 
the Child had given them. So they opened the little box, and inside it 
they found a stone. On seeing this they began to wonder what this 
might be that the Child had given them, and what was the import 
thereof. Now the signification was this : when they presented their offer- 
ings, the Child had accepted all three, and when they saw that they had 
said within themselves that He was the True God, and the True King-, 
and the True Physician. And what the gift of the stone implied was 
that this Faith which had begun in them should abide firm as a rock. 
For He well knew what was in their thoughts. Howbeit, they had no 
understanding at all of this signification of the gift of the stone ; so they 
cast it into a well. Then straightway a fire from Heaven descended into 
that well wherein the stone had been cast. 

And when the Three Kings beheld this marvel they were sore 
amazed, and it greatly repented them that they had cast away the stone ; 
for well they then perceived that it had a great and holy meaning. So 
they took of that fire, and carried it into their own country, and placed it 
in a rich and beautiful church. And there the people keep it continually 
burning, and worship it as a god, and all the sacrifices they offer are 
kindled with that fire. And if ever the fire becomes extinct they go to 
other cities round about where the same faith is held, and obtain of that 
fire from them, and carry it to the church. And this is the reason why 
the people of this country worship fire. They will often go ten days' 
journey to get of that fire. 

Such then .was the story told by the people of that Castle to Messer 
Marco Polo ; they declared to him for a truth that such Avas their history, 
and that one of the Three Kings was of the city called Saba, and the sec- 
ond of AVA, and the third of that very Castle where they still worship 
fire, with the people of all the country round about. 

Having related this story, I will now tell you of the different prov- 
inces of Persia, and their peculiarities. 

*' Saba," remarked Fred, " from which the three wise men are 



THE PARSERS OR FIRE-WORSHIPPERS. yi 

said to have started on their journey, is the modern Savah, fifty 
miles southwest of Teheran. It is very much decayed, and so is 
Avah, about sixteen miles away. Modern travellers find no 
trace of the legend of the three wise men. The story seems to 
be a mixture of Christian and Persian character, and was told by 
an Arab writer nearly four centuries before Marco's time. There 
are no fire worshippers in that part of Persia at present." 

One of the youthful auditors asked Dr. Allen to tell them 
something about the fire worshippers. 

'' The worship of fire is of very great antiquity," said the 
doctor, in response to the request for information, ''and there is 
considerable doubt as to Jts origin. The Parsees or Fire-wor- 
shippers of the present time are descended from the followers of 
Zoroaster ; very little is knov/n about him, but the Persians gen- 
erally attribute his existence to about six hundred years before 
our era. When Persia adopted the Moslem religion the Parsees 
were persecuted, and most of them adopted the new faith ; those 
who clung to their old religion were finally allowed to settle in 
the most barren part of Persia, but the greater number of them 
emigrated to India. It is said there are less than ten thousand 
Parsees in Persia to-day, while there are nearly two hundred 
thousand in India, principally in the province of Guzerat and in 
Bombay. There are forty thousand Parsees in Bombay alone, 
and they are the most intelligent, wealthy, and enterprising of 
the native population. They have excellent schools and col- 
leges, they contribute liberally to all the public charities, and 
there are several large hospitals in the city, open to everybody, 
which are entirely supported by Parsee merchants. When I 
visited Bombay I was introduced to many of the prominent Par- 
sees, and was greatly pleased with their politeness and intelli- 
gence. Unlike most of the Oriental people, they believe in the 
education of women ; I attended the graduating exercises at a 
Parsee school, and heard the boys and girls read their composi- 
tions and ' speak their pieces ' exactly as I have heard the same 
exercises in American schools. 



T^- 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



i 



" Zoroaster is said to have brought the sacred fire from 
heaven, and his followers have never ajllowed it to go out. 
When the Parsees emigrated to India hjundreds of years ago, 
they carried the fire with them, and it is kept burning on the 
altars of their temples. Priests watch conjstantly to see that it is 

not extinguished, and 
if by accident the fire 
goes out in one temple, 
it is brought from an- 
other exactlyasin Polo's 
day. The Parsees do 
not bury their dead in 
the earth, nor consume 
them with fire as the 
Hindoos do. The bod- 
ies are exposed to be 
eaten by birds ; on a 
hill overlooking Bom- 
bay are the famous 
' Towers of Silence 
where every Parsee of 
that city is carried after 
his death. Flocks of 
vultures are constantly 
around these towers, 
and they perform their 
work very quickly. 

" The Parsee mer- 
chants are found all 
through the great cities 
of Asia, and some of them are established in London, Paris, and 
other European cities. A few of their firms have branches or 
agencies in New York and San Francisco, but I believe none of 
the Parsees have come to America to live. 

'' Having heard about the fire worshippers," said the doctor, 




Parsee Lady and Boy. 



I 

POLITICAL DIVISIONS OF PERSIA. 



73 



'' we will see what more our author has to say concerning 
Persia." 

OF THE EIGHT KINGDOMS OF PERSIA, AND HOW THEY ARE NAMED. 

Now you must know that Persia is a very great country, and contains 
eight kingdoms. I will tell you the names of them all. 

The first kingdom is that at the beginning of Persia, and it is called 
Casvin; the second is further to the south, and is called CURDISTAN; 
the third is called LOR ; the fourth SUOLSTAN ; the fifth ISTANIT ; the 
sixth Serazy ; the seventh SONCARA ; the eighth TUNOCAIN, which is at 




Halt of a Caravan. 

the further extremity of Persia. All these kingdoms lie in a southerly 
direction except one, to wit, Tunocain ; that lies tow^ards the east, and 
borders on the country of the Arbre Sol. 

In this country of Persia there is a great supply of fine horses , and 
people take them to India for sale, for they are horses ot great price, a 
single one being worth as much of their money as is equal to 200 livres 
Tournois ; some will be more, some less, according to the quality. Here 
also are the finest asses in the world, one of them being v/orth 30 marks of 
silver, for they are very large and fast, and acquire a capital amble. 
Dealers carry their horses to Kisi and Curmosa, two cities on the shores 



74 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

of the Sea of India, and there they meet with itierchants who take the 
horses on to India for sale. / 

In this country there are many cruel and murderous people, so that 
no day passes but there is some homicide among them. Were it not for 
the Government, which is that of the Tartars of the Levant, they would 
do great mischief to merchants ; and ind-eed, maugre the Government, 
they often succeed in doing such mischief. Unless merchants be well 
armed they run the risk of being murdered, or at least robbed of every 
thing ; and it sometimes happens that a) whole party perishes in this way 
when not on their guard. The people are all Saracens, i. e. followers of 
the Law of Mahommet. 

In the cities there are traders and artizans who live by their labor and 
crafts, weaving cloths of gold, and silk stuffs of sundry kinds. They have 
plenty of cotton produced in the country ; and abundance of wheat, 
barley, millet, panick, and wine, witl;i fruit of all kinds. 

CONCERNING THE GREAT CITY OF YASDI. 

Yasdi also is properly in Persia ; it is a good and noble city, and has 
a great amount of trade. They weave there quantities of a certain silk 
tissue known as Yasdi, which merchants carry into many quarters to 
dispose of. The people are worshippers of Mahommet. 

When you leave this city to travel further, you ride for seven days 
over great plains, finding harbor to receive you at three places only. 
There are many fine woods, producing dates, upon the way, such as one 
can easily ride through ; and in them there is great sport to be had in 
hunting and hawking, there being partridges and quails and abundance of 
other game, so that the merchants who pass that way have plenty of 
diversion. There are also wild asses, handsome creatures. At the end of 
those seven marches over the plain you come to a fine kingdom which 
is called Kerman. 

CONCERNING THE KINGDOM OF KERMAN. 

Kerman is a kingdom which is also properly in Persia, and formerly 
it had a hereditary prince. Since the Tartars conquered the country the 



RESOURCES OF KERMAN. 



75 



rule is no longer hereditary, but the Tartar sends to administer whatever 
lord he pleases. In this kingdom are produced the stones called tur- 
quoises in great abundance ; they are found in the mountains, where they 
are extracted from the rocks. There are also plenty of veins of steel and 
Ondanique. The people arc jvery skilful in making harness of war ; their 
saddles, bridles, spurs, swords bows, quivers, and arms of every kind are 
very well made indeed, accc ding to the fashion of those parts. The 
ladies of the country and their daughters also produce exquisite needle- 
work in the embroidery of silk stuffs in different colors, with figures of 
beasts and birds, trees and flowers, and a variety of other patterns. They 
work hangings for the use of noblemen so deftly that they are marvels to 
see, as well as cushions, pillows, 
quilts, and all sorts of things. 

In the mountains of Kerman are 
found the best falcons in the world. 
They are inferior in size to the Per- 
egrine, red on the breast, under the 
neck, and between the thighs ; their 
flight so swift that no bird can escape 
them. 

On quitting the city you ride on for 
seven days, always finding towns, vil- 
lages, and handsome dwelling-houses, 
so that it is very pleasant travel- 
ling ; and there is excellent sport also to be had by the way in hunting 
and hawking. When you have ridden those seven days over a plain 
country, you come to a great mountain ; and when you have got to the 
top of the pass you find a great descent which occupies some two days to 
go down. All along you find a variety and abundance of fruits ; and in 
former days there were plenty of inhabited places on the road, but now 
there are none ; and you meet with only a few people looking after their 
cattle at pasture. From the city of Kerman to this descent the cold in 
winter is so great that you can scarcely abide it, even with a great quan- 
tity of clothing. 





m^' 



76 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO, 



OF THE CITY OF CAMADI AND ITS RUINS ; AL^jO TOUCHING THE CA- 



RAONA ROBBERS. 



After you have ridden down hill those two days, you find yourself in 

a vast plain, and at the beginning thereof there is a city called Camadi, 

a,. 
which formerly was a great and noble place, but now is of little conse- 
quence, for the Tartars in their incursions', ^lave several times ravaged it. 
The plain whereof I speak is a very hot region ; and the province that we 
now enter is called Reobarles. 

The fruits of the country are dates, pistachioes, and apples of Para- 
dise, with others of the like not found in our cold climate. There are 




Scene in Southern Persia. 



vast numbers of turtle-doves, attracted by the abundance of fruits, but 
the Saracens never take them, for they hold them in abomination. And 
on this plain there is a kind of bird called francolin, but different from 
the francolin of other countries, for their color is a mixture of black and 
white, and the feet and beak are vermilion color. 

The beasts also are peculiar ; and first I will tell you of their oxen. 
These are very large, and all over white as snow ; the hair is very short 
and smooth, which is owing to the heat of the country. The horns are 
short and thick, not sharp in the point; and between the shoulders they 
have a round hump some two palms high. There are no handsomer 
creatures in the world. And when they have to be loaded, they kneel 
like the camel ; once the load is adjusted, they rise. Their load is a 



w 



THE CARAONA ROBBERS. 



77 



heavy one, for they are very strong animals. Then there are sheep here 
as big as asses; and ti.kir tails are so large and fat that one tail shall 
weigh some thirty pounds. They are fine fat beasts, and afford capital 
mutton. 

In this plain there are a number of villages and towns which have 
lofty walls of mud, made as a defence against the banditti, who are very 
numerous, and are called Caraonas. This name is given them because 
they are the sons of Indian mothers by Tartar fathers. And you must 
know that when these Caraonas wish to make a plundering incursion, 
they have certain devilish enchantments whereby they do bring darkness 
over the face of day, insomuch that you 
can scarcely discern your comrade rid- 
ing beside you ; and this darkness they 
will cause to extend over a spaced, of 
seven days' journey. They know the 
country thoroughly, and ride abreast, 
keeping near one another, sometimes 
to the number of io,ooo, at other times 
more or fewer. In this way they extend 
across the whole plain that they are 
going to harry, and catch every living 
thing that is found outside of the towns 
and villages; man, woman, or beast, 
nothing can escape them ! The old 
men whom they take in this way they butcher ; the young men and the 
women they sell for slaves in other countries ; thus the whole land is ruined, 
and has become wellnigh a desert. 

The King of these scoundrels is called NOGODAR. This Nogodar had 
gone to the Court of Chagatai, who was own brother to the Great Kaan, 
with some ten thousand horsemen of his, and abode with him ; for Cha- 
gatai was his uncle. And whilst there this Nogodar devised a most 
audacious enterprise, and I will tell you what it was. He left his uncle, 
who was then in Greater Armenia, and fled with a great body of horse- 
men, cruel, unscrupulous fellows, first through Badashan, and then 
through another province called PashaI-Dir, and then through another 




78 



/ 
THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO, 



called AriorA-Keshemur. There he lost a great number of his people 
and of his horses, for the roads were very narrj w and perilous. And 
when he had conquered all those provinces, ^^e entered India at the 
extremity of a province called Dalivar, He established himself in that 
city and government, which he took from the King of the country, 
ASEDIN SOLDAN by name, a man of great power and wealth. And there 
abideth Nogodar with his army, afraid of nobody, and waging war with 
all the Tartars in his neighborhood. 




Attack in a Mountain Pass. 

Now that I have told you of those scoundrels and their history, I 
must add the fact that Messer Marco himself was all but caught by 
their bands in such a darkness as that I have told you of ; but, as it 
pleased God, he got off and threw himself into a village that was hard 
by, called CONOSALMI. Howbeit he lost his whole company except seven 
persons who escaped along with him. The rest were caught, and some of 
them sold, some put to death. 



A DESPOTIC GOVERNMENT. 



79 



Frank paused here, and Fred rose to comment upon what 
they had heard. 

'' According to the geographers," said he, '' Persia was divided 
into seven or eight great divisions, as related by Marco, until 
about the beginning of this century. At that time it was decided 
to apportion the country into twenty-five provinces for purposes 
of administration, as the old divisions were found too large. 
Under the present arrangement the governors of the provinces 
are responsible to the general government and independent of 







View in Kandahar, Persia. 



each other. Tabreez, Kasbin, Ispahan, and Shiraz have succes- 
sively enjoyed the honor of being the capital, a distinction which 
now belono^s to Teheran. 

"• The government is one of the most despotic in the world," 
the youth continued, '' and the statement of Polo that not a day 
passes without a homicide is as true now as in his time. The 
ruler of Persia is called the Shah or Padishah ; he has the power 
of life and death over all his subjects, and can take possession 
of their property whenever he likes. When he is in want of 
money, he sends to the provincial governors and says how much 
he needs ; they immediately levy a tax upon all the towns and 



8o 



/ 
THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO, 



villages under their control, and if it is not promptly paid, they 
seize the property of the people and sell it^ The local governors 
generally levy twice as much tax as has^ been called for, and the 
surplus is put into their own pockets. The governors get rich in 
a short time, and the people must suffer. Jf you wish to know 
in detail how things are managed in that country, I advise you 
to read ' Through Persia by Caravan,' by Arthur Arnold. The 
stories he tells of the corruption of officials and the necessity of 
giving bribes for the transaction of the most trivial matters read 
strangely to people accustomed to American or English ways. 

Every one connected 
with the government 
must make 'presents' 
to the Shah or his 
deputies, and very 
often the annual 
amount of these pres- 
ents is greater than 
all the money raised 
by regular taxation 
in the same time. 

'' Persia is still fa- 
mous for its horses,' 

Mountain Scene in Persia. COUtiuued Fred, ''and 

they are exported to India as in Polo's time. They are known 
as ' Gulf Arabs,' and bring high prices ; the best horses of Persia 
are those reared by the Turcomans, and are capable of great 
speed and endurance. Colonel Yule mentions one that travelled 
nine hundred miles in eleven days, and another that went eleven 
hundred miles in twelve days (two of them devoted to resting), 
consequently the horse covered eleven hundred miles of ground 
in ten days of travelling time ! Of course, such cases are rare, 
but they indicate the great powers of the Persian horses." 

Some one in the audience wished to know the value of the 
Itvre Tourjiois, in which the prices of these horses were reck- 
oned. 




FOREIGN HORSES IN INDIA. 8i 

'' The lzv7^e Touriiois, in Polo's time," Fred replied, '' was 
equal to very nearly the English pound sterling of to-day. Two 
hundred livres Tournoic would be about ^193, or more than 
$950 of our currency." 

'' Horses in India' cost a great deal of money," was the very 
natural comment upon Fred's explanation. 

'' You are quite right," said the doctor, '' and they cost a 
great deal of money there now. In a general way we may say 
that horses in the cities of Ir^'^a are worth twice as much as the 
same grade of animals would be in New York or London. The 
country does not produce half nor a quarter enough horses for 
the needs of the people, and there is a steady stream of importa- 
tion from Persia, Arabia, Australia, Burmah, and other coun- 
tries. The Australian horses come principally from New South 
Wales, and are known as * walers,' which has been corrupted into 
' whalers.' When I was first in Calcutta, my attention was ar- 
rested by a placard announcing that a hundred ' whalers,' just 
arrived, would be sold at auction. I went at once to the place 
indicated for the sale, wondering what kind of a slave auction 
was to come off, and what the poor ' whalers ' had done to be sold 
into captivity. I was relieved to find that the spot was nothing 
more than a horse market, and the subjects of the sale were 
quadrupeds instead of bipeds." 

There was a pleasant laugh over the doctor's anecdote, and 
it doubtless served to fix in the minds of the listeners the tech- 
nical name for Australian horses in Calcutta. When the audible 
smile was over Fred continued with his comment on the narra- 
tive. 

'' Yasdi is the modern Yezd," said Fred. '' It is a city of 
about fifty thousand inhabitants, and the weaving of silk is car- 
ried on as in Polo's time. It is the home of most of the fire 
worshippers, or followers of Zoroaster, remaining in Persia ; in 
1859 it was said that there were eight hundred and fifty families 
of them in Yezd and the neighboring villages, but the number is 
diminishing every year. There is a good deal of commerce at 



82 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



Yezd, and the merchants of that city go to India and to Europe 
in the prosecution of their business. The route from Yezd is 
correctly described by Polo as traversing plains, but the many 

fine woods he mentions 
have mostly disappeared. 
There are occasional 
groups of date-palms and 
other trees, and it is said 
that wild asses and other 
game abound in them, 
but you may ride for 
many miles together with- 
out seeing a single tree. 

'' The Kerman of Polo 
is in existence to-day but 
is of little importance. 
There was formerly a mine 
of turquoises near Ker- 
man, but it is not now 
worked. The same may 
be said of the mines of 
iron and of ondaniqtte, 
which is a corruption of 
the name of steel in India. 
Indian steel was famous 
in Persia from very ancient 
times, and its importation 
continued until quite re- 
cently. The celebrated 
blades of Damascus and 
Khorassan were made of 
stories are told of their 




Embroidery with Figures of Animals. 



Indian steel, and the most wonderful 
qualities. It was said that a Damascus sword could cut a silk 
handkerchief in two while it was floating in the air, or cleave a 
helmet of European manufacture without turning the edge. 



HC F OXEN ARE TRAINED. 



83 



'' Silk weaving and' embroidery are still carried on at Ker- 
man, and the work is eG^ual to that of Northern India and Cash- 
mere, though the material is less soft. Some of the shawls of 
Kerman are covered with' figures of animals and flowers so deli- 
cately wrought that they \almost need a magnifying glass for 
their inspection, and the carpets of Kerman and its vicinity have 
a high reputation for fineness of texture. 

'' The apples of Paradise are said by Colonel Yule to be 
nothing more than plantains. ^ Dates and pistachios are abun- 
dant wherever the forests remajn, and the francolin of Polo is 
what is called the black partricige in England. The hump- 
backed oxen of Persia are the same, as those of India and similar 




Humped Oxen from an Assyrian Sculpture. 

to those that figure in the pictures on the walls of ancient tombs 
and temples in Egypt and Assyria." 

'' How about their kneeling to receive their loads?" one of 
the audience inquired. 

'' Mr. Abbott, a modern traveller, says they do so in this 
part of Persia," Fred answered, '' and I believe he avers that he 
repeatedly saw them kneel to receive their burdens. There 
ought to be no great dii^culty in teaching an ox to go upon his 
knees when a burden is about to be placed on his back, but the 
necessity is not as great as with a camel, in consequence of his 
diminutive height." 

" I can tell you a more remarkable thing than this about the 



84 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



oxen of the East," interrupted the doctor. '' In Ceylon and 
parts of India I saw oxen trained to go a,+7a trot, just as we have 
horses trot instead of walk. Of course t'hey were not as fast as 
horses, but that an ox will trot at all and keep it up for any dis- 
tance is a surprise to us who are accustomed to regard him 
as a model of slowness. I am well aware that when a herd of 
oxen is frightened it can get over the ground very fast and keep 
it up for a long distance. Remarkable stories are told of ' stam- 
peded ' herds on our Western plains, but we can hardly regard 

the speed of frightened ani- 
mals as their natural pace." 
'' The fat-tailed sheep of 
Persia are well described by 
Marco," continued Fred, as 
soon as the doctor had 
concluded his observations 
on trotting oxen. '' They 
abound in several parts of 
Asia and Africa and have 
been introduced into Amer- 
ica, though not to any ex- 
tent. The weight of the 
tail varies of course with 
the size of the sheep ; the 
best specimens of the kind 
are at the Cape of Good 
Hope, where the tail alone has been found to weigh from seventy 
to eighty pounds." 

There was a hum of incredulity through the audience at this 
assertion, and one of the youthful auditors asked how the animal 
could carry such a burden. Fred explained that when the tail 
of the sheep was of great weight it was supported on a board, and 
the shepherds of South Africa were in the habit of attaching 
small trucks to it so that it could be dragged about easily. He 
added that he would not vouch for the truth of the story, but 




Portrait of a Hazara. 



\ 



DR Y h l^GS AND DUST-STORMS. 85 

gave it as he had read ^t. *' In Southern Tartary," he continued, 
" there is a sheep which* has a very large rump, the fat hanging 
down in great masses on each side and completely concealing the 
tail, which is very short." 

'' Now we com^," said Fred, '' to a statement that seems to 
border on the marvellous, where the Caraonas are said to cause 
darkness by means of enchantments, so that they can carry on 
their plundering excursions. The phenomenon of dry fog or 
dust storms is doubtless what is referred to, and it was the practice 
of those times to ascribe to magic every thing that was not under- 
stood. It is of frequent occurrence in parts of Persia and in 
Northern India, and has often caused great inconvenience to 
caravans and single travellers. In a battle between two armies 
of Northern India in 1762, one of these fogs came on and com- 
pletely enveloped all the combatants for several hours. The 
fighting continued, but the two forces were very much mixed up, 
and when the fog lifted both of them started in full retreat. 
Major St. John, who recently travelled in Persia, describes his 
experience of one of these fogs as follows : ' Not a breath of air 
was stirring, and the whole effect was most curious, and unlike 
any other fog I had ever seen. No deposit of dust followed, and 
the feeling of the air was decidedly damp.' 

** The Caraonas were doubtless identical with the Hazaras of 
the present time, who are described accurately enough in Marco's 
account. They are robbers who make inroads into the territory 
of their neighbors, selling their captives into slavery and carry- 
ing away every thing that can be transported. It is on account 
of these fellows that most of the cities of Persia are surrounded 
by walls, and sometimes it is unsafe to venture outside their 
gates." 

A brief discussion of some of the minor points of Marco's 
story followed Fred's explanation, and at its end the meeting 
adjourned. 



o 



i 



CHAPTER V. 

The Plain of Formosa — Hormos — Effects of the Simoom — Destruction of an Army by the Wind 
from the Desert — Countries of Northern and Eastern Persia — Comparison of Polo's Route 
with that of a Modern Traveller — The Great Heat of Persia — Fable about the Porcupine — 
The Old Man of the Mountain. 

There was a full attendance at the next meeting of the 
Society, and it was evident that the course of readings was in 
every way popular. Frank opened the proceedings, by announ- 
cing that they would continue their journey through Persia and 
neighboring countries, under the guidance of the energetic Vene- 
tian, to whom they were already much indebted. With this 
explanation, he proceeded to read. 

OF THE DESCENT TO THE CITY OF HORMOS. 

The Plain of which we have spoken extends in a southerly direction 
for five days' journey, and then you come to another descent, some twenty 
miles in length, where the road is very bad and full of peril, for there are 
many robbers and bad characters about. When you have got to the foot 
of this descent you find another beautiful plain called the Plain OF 
Formosa. This extends for two days' journey ; and you find in it fine 
streams of water with plenty of date-palms and other fruit-trees. There 
are also many beautiful birds, francolins, popinjays, ana other kinds such 
as we have none of in our country. When you have ridden these two days 
you come to the Ocean Sea, and on the shore you find a city with a har- 
bor which is called HORMOS. Merchants come thither from India, with 
ships loaded with spicery and precious stones, pearls, cloths of silk and 
gold, elephants' teeth, and many other wares, which they sell to the mer- 
chants of Hormos, and which these in turn carry all over the world to 
dispose of again. In fact, 't is a city of immense trade. There are plenty 

of towns and villages under it, but it is the capital. The King is called 

86 



ARABIAN SHIPS. 



87 



RUOMEDAM AhoMET. It is a very sickly place, and the heat of the sun 
is tremendous, If any foreign merchant dies there, the King takes all his 
property. 

ake a wine of dates 'mixt with spices, which 
never eat meat and wheaten bread except 
r take such food when they are in health it 
yhen in health, consists of dates and salt- 
is, and this kind of diet they maintain in 



In this country they 
is very good. The peoj, 
when they are ill, and if 
makes them ill. Their fo 
fish — tunny, to wit — and c 
order to preserve their hea' 

Their ships are wretche 
have no iron fastenings, ar 



\irs, and many of them get lost ; for they 
\ only stitched together with twine made 




Merchants and Camels at a Wayside Fountain. 



from the husk of the Indian nut. They beat this husk until it becomes 
like horse-hair, and from that they spin twine, and Avith this stitch the 
planks of the ships together. It keeps well and is not corroded by the 
sea-water, but it will not stand well in a storm. The ships are not pitched, 
but are rubbed with fish-oil. They have one mast, one sail, and one rud- 
der, and have no deck, but only a cover spread over the cargo when 
loaded. This cover consists of hides, and on the top of these hides they 
put the horses which they take to India for sale. They have no iron to 



88 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



make nails of, and for this reason they use only v/ooden treenails in their 
shipbuilding, and then stitch the planks with tvane as I have told you. 
Hence, 't is a perilous business to go a voyage \ one of those ships, and 
many of them are lost, for in that Sea of ^ iia the storms are often 
terrible. / 

The people are black, and are worshippf ^ Mahommet. The resi- 
dents avoid living in the cities, for the he^' summer is so great that it 
would kill them. Hence, they go out t(/ ep at their gardens in the 
country, where there are streams and pier' f water. For all that they 




A Sand-Storm in the Desert. 



would not escape but for one thing that I will mention. The fact is, you 
see, that in summer a wind often blows across the sands which encompass 
the plain, so intolerably hot that it would kill everybody, were it not that 
when they perceive that wind coming they plunge into water up to 
the neck, and so abide until the wind has ceased. And to prove the 
great heat of this wind, Messer Mark related a case that befel when he 
was there. The Lord of Hormos, not having paid his tribute to the King 
of Kerman, the latter resolved to claim it at the time when the people of 
Hormos were residing away from the city. So he caused a force of i,6oo 



EFFECTS OF A HOT WIND. 89 

horse and 5,000 foot to be got ready, and sent them by the route of Reo- 
barles to take the othe ■ by surprise. Now, it happened one day that 
through the fault of the. ^uide they were not able to reach the place ap- 
pointed for their night's t, and were obliged to bivouac in a wilderness 
not far from Hormos. the morning as they were starting on their 

march they were caught 1 at wind, and every man of them was suffo- 

cated, so that not one sur\ ^ to carry the tidings to their Lord. When 
the people of Hormos he. [ this they went forth to bury the bodies 

lest they should breed a pe -^e. But when they laid hold of them by 

the arms to drag them to tl" ;, the bodies proved to be so baked, as it 

were, by that tremendous L \at the arms parted from the trunks, and 

in the end the people had t. sraves hard by each where it lay, and so 

cast them in. 

The people sow their wheai barley and other corn in the month of 

Novembt., and reap it in the mont-i of March. The dates are not gath- 
ered till May, but otherwise there is no grass nor any other green thing, for 
the excessive heat dries up every thing. 

When any one dies they make a great business of the mourning, for 
women mourn their husbands for four years. During that time they 
mourn at least once a day, gathering together their kinsfolk and friends 
and neighbors for the purpose, and making a great weeping and wailing. 
And they have women who are mourners by trade, and do it for hire. 

Now, we will quit this country. I shall not, however, now go on to 
tell you about India ; but when time and place shall suit we shall 
come round from the north and tell you about it. For the present, let us 
return by another road to the aforesaid city of Kerman, for we cannot get 
at those countries that I wish to tell you about except through that city. 

On the road by which we return from Hormos to Kerman you meet 
with some very fine plains, and you also find many natural hot baths ; 
you find plenty of partridges on the road : and there are towns where 
victual is cheap and abundant, with quantities of dates and other fruits. 
The wheaten bread, however, is so bitter, owing to the bitterness of the 
water, that no one can eat it who is not used to it. The baths that I 
mentioned have excellent virtues ; they cure the itch and several other 
diseases. 



90 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCi. . POLO. 



OF THE WEARISOME AND DESERT ROAD 7/C.AT HAS NOW TO BE 

TRAVELLED. 

On departing from the city of Kerman y '^ find the road for seven 



days most wearisome ; and I will tell you 
days you meet with no water, or next to n 
meet with is bitter green stuff, so salt tha 
it is necessary to carry water for the peo 
for the cattle, they must needs drink of : 
as there is no help for it, and their grea/ 
it affects them to such a degree that / 




this is. The first three 
And what little you do 



^^ 



:^ 



Jr-V**t* 



Dne can drink it. Hence 
■) last these three days ; as 

^?d water I have mentioned, 
;t makes them do so. But 

4mes they die of it. In all 



/^# 



« ' 





On the Desert, 
those three days you meet with no human habitation ; it is all desert, and 
the extremity of drought. Even of wild beasts there are none, for 
there is nothing for them to eat. 

After those three days of desert you arrive at a stream of fresh water 
running underground, but along which there are holes broken in here and 
there, perhaps undermined by the stream, at which you can get sight of it. 
It has an abundant supply, and travellers, worn with the hardships of the 
desert, here rest and refresh themselves and their beasts. 

You then enter another desert which extends for four days ; it is very 



; MINERAL PRODUCTS. 



91 



much like the former except that you do see some wild asses. And at the 
termination of these four days of desert the kingdom of Kerman comes to 
an end, and you find another city which is called COBINAN. 

CONCERNING THE CITY OF COBINAN AND THE THINGS THAT ARE 

MADE THERE. 

COBINAN is a large town. The people worship Mahommet. There is 
much iron and steel and Ondanique^ and they make steel mirrors of great 




Chinar or Oriental Plane-Tree ; Supposed to be the " Arbre Sol." 

size and beauty. They also prepare both Ttitia (a thing very good for the 
eyes) and Spodium ; and I will tell you the process. 

They have a vein of a certain earth which has the required quality, 
and this they put into a great flaming furnace, whilst over the furnace there 
is an iron grating. The smoke and moisture, expelled from the earth of 
which I speak, adhere to the iron grating, and thus form Tutia, whilst the 
slag that is left after burning is the Spodium. 



92 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

OF A CERTAIN DESERT THAT CONTINUES FOR EIGHT DAYS' JOURNEY. 

When you depart from this City of Cobinan, you find yourself again in 
a Desert of surpassing aridity, which lasts for some eight days ; here are 
neither fruits nor trees to be seen, and what water there is is bitter and 
bad, so that )^ou have to carry both food and water. The cattle must 
needs drink the bad water, will they nill they, because of their great 
thirst. At the end of those eight days you arrive at a province which is 
called TONOCAIN. It has a good many towns and villages, and forms the 
extremity of Persia toward the North. It also contains an immense plain 
on which is found the Arbre Sol, which we Christians call the Arbre Sec ; 
and I will tell you what it is like. It is a tall and thick tree, having the 
bark on one side green and the other w liie ; and it produces a rough 
husk like that of a chestnut, but withoi ^ any thing in it. The wood is 
yellow like box, and very strong, and there are no other trees' near it nor 
within a hundred miles of it, except on one side where you find trees 
within about ten miles' distance. And there, the people of the country 
tell you, was fought the battle between Alexander and King Darius. 

''The port of Hormos," said Fred, as Frank paused, ''was 
an important place of commerce in Polo's time, but it seems 
to have been moved from the mainland to an island five miles 
away soon after the Venetian traveller visited it. It was fre- 
quently attacked by the hostile tribes which occupied that part 
of Persia, and the inhabitants concluded they would be safer 
with a strip of water between them and their enemies. So 
they moved to the island about the beginning of the fourteenth 
century. 

" The site of the old city has been identified in modern 
times," Fred continued, " and so has that of the island. The 
latter is of little consequence at present, since a new port, 
Bunder Abbas, has been established, and the commerce of the 
surrounding region goes there. 

"The Plain of Formosa is less fertile now than in Marco's 
day, but there are parts of it where one may travel for miles 
through groves of trees producing abundantly of fruits pecu- 



A COMPARISON OF ROUTES. 93 

liar to the country, .f One modern traveller says It is called by 
the natives ' The Itiradise of Persia,' and abounds in orange- 
groves, and orchards' containing apples, pears, peaches, apri- 
cots, pomegranates, and pistachio nuts. He also says there 
are vineyards from which they formerly made wine, so that 
Polo's description fits the region exactly. But the name ' For- 
mosa ' is not known there, and is probably a corruption of 
' Hormuzia,' or it may have been applied in consequence of 
the beauty of the country. ' Formosa ' is the Portuguese word 
for beautiful. 

'' To show how exact was this description of the country," 
said Fred, '' let us compare the itinerary of Polo with the nar- 
rative of a modern travellC^. Major R. M. Smith, who went 
from Kerman to Bunder Abbas in 1866. First we will look 
at Polo's account : — 

Marches. 

1. From Kerman across a plain to the top of a mountain-pass, where 

extreme cold was experienced ....... 7 

2. A descent, occupying 2 

3. A great plain, called Reobarles, in a much warmer climate, abound- 

ing in francolin partridge, and in dates and tropical fruit, with a 
ruined city of former note, called Camadi, near the head of the 
plain, which extends for ........ 5 

4. A second very bad pass, descending for twenty miles, say . . I 

5. A well-watered fruitful plain, which is crossed to Hormicz, on the 

shores of the Gulf 2 

Total 17 

And here is the report of Major Smith : — 

1. From Kerman to the caravanserai of Deh Bakri in the pass so 

called. The ground as he ascended became covered with snow, 
and the weather was bitterly cold . . . . . .6 

2. Two miles over very deep snoiv brought him to the top of the pass ; 

he then descended fourteen miles to his halt. Two miles to 
the south of the crest he passed a second caravanserai. The 
next march continued the descent for fourteen miles, and then 
carried him ten miles along the banks of the Rudkhanah-i-Shor. 



94 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

Marches. 

The approximate height of the pass above the sea is estimated 
at 8,000 feet 2 

3. Clumps of date-palms growing near the village showed that he had 

reached a totally different climate. The lands yield grain, mil- 
let, pulse, French- and horse-beans, rice, cotton, henna, Palma 
Christi, and dates, and in part are of great fertility. 
Rainy season from January to March, after which a luxuriant 
crop of grass. Across this plain (districts of Jiruft and Rudbar), 
the height of which above the sea is something under 2,000 feet, 6 

4. Six and one half hours, " nearly the whole way over a most dif- 

ficult mountain-pass," called the Pass of Nevergu . . .1 

5. Two long marches over a plain, part of \v;hich is described as '' con- 

tinuous cultivation for some sixteen'' miles," and the rest as a 
"" most uninteresting plain " •/ • • • • • • 2 

Total as before . . .17 

''You observe," said Fred, ''that the two travellers were 
exactly seventeen days each in making the journey. It is pos- 
sible that for a part of their way their routes were not precisely 
the same, but there could not have been much difference. As 
an illustration of how much the travelling facilities of to-day 
resemble those of six hundred years ago nothing could be 
better." 

Some one in the audience asked if it is the custom now for 
the king to take possession of the property of a foreigner who 
dies there, and if the heat is really as great as represented. 

Fred was unable to answer the question, and the doctor came 
to his assistance. 

" The rulers of the country would be very likely to take pos- 
session of his property," the doctor explained, "unless the 
foreigner left somebody to represent him. Even in more civ- 
ilized countries than Persia this is often the case, or I might say 
that the result is pretty much the same. The property of a 
foreigner dying in New York, and leaving no heirs in America, 
will go to the State under certain conditions, and if the State 
does not claim it, the lawyers are likely to use it up in ' expenses.' 



GREA T HE A T OF THE PERSIAN GULF. 



95 



I think the records of the courts will give an abundance of illus- 
trations of the correctness of my assertion. 

'' As to the heat of the country in summer, I think Marco is 
correct. You remember I told you of the great heat at Bagdad 
during four months of the year ; it is just as bad at Bunder Ab- 
bas and Hormuz, and some say it is worse. One traveller says 
Bunder Abbas is so unhealthy that foreigners could not stop 
there after the end of March ; and another says that, during the 
summer, not a hundredth part of the population remained. The 




Encampment in a Valley near Kerman. 



people live on dates and salt-fish, as in Polo's time, and they 
have a fish exactly resembling the tunny of the Mediterranean." 

'' Do they really lie in the water as he describes ? " inquired a 
bright-eyed boy sitting near the doctor. 

'' Certainly they do," was the reply. "The custom is not 
confined to that country, but may be found in other parts of the 
world. The people of the Philippine Islands indulge in the prac- 
tice, and so do the natives of several parts of India ; in the West 
India Islands and in Brazil, the natives take to the water during 
the prevalence of great heat, and you might find that many a 
resident of New York or Philadelphia has spent several hours in 



96 THE TRA VELS OF MARCG POLO. 

his bath-tub on a hot summer's day. It is said that some of the 
inhabitants of the Malay Peninsula will go to sleep in the water, 
but I will not vouch for their doing so. It must be no easy mat- 
ter to arrange an aqueous couch so that the sleeper can run no 
risk of being drowned." 

'' I suppose," said another of the audience, ''that the terrible 
wind described by Marco, is the simoom or sirocco." 

*' Yes," was the reply ; ''though there is some doubt as to its 
baking the bodies of its victims in the mjanner he mentions. But 
the destruction of whole armies by the simoom has occurred re- 
peatedly in history, and we can readily believe how the host of 
the king of Kerman was swept away in front of Hormuz. You 
recall ' The Destruction of Sennacherib,' and especially the versi- 
fied form of the story, which nearly every school-boy knows by 
heart. It was doubtless the simoom from the desert that wrought 
the destruction of the army, and it is not impossible that the in- 
cident related by our great traveller is borrowed from the biblical 
account." 

At the request of several members of the Society, Dr. Allen 
gave a short account of his experience with the simoom. 

" My first acquaintance with It was in Egypt," said the doctor. 
" It is there known as the khamseen (fifty), for the reason that it 
blows for fifty days altogether. It began about the first of April 
and blew for three days ; then it stopped for three days, and next 
we had two days of khamseen and two days without it. It blows 
from two to five days at a time, and the interval that follows is 
generally the same as the duration of the wind. Consequently, 
the fifty days of the desert wind are not over until a hundred 
days from their commencement. 

" The wind comes from the desert, which is heated to a very 
high degree by the rays of the sun directed upon the sand. Over 
the desert it sometimes reaches i8o° Fahrenheit, and during 
the khamseen at Cairo, I have known the thermometer to 
mark 122° in the shade; the air is full of the finest sand, 
and there is so much of it that the sun is half obscured by a yel- 



SAND-STORMS liY THE DESERT. 



97 



low haze. The air is perfectly dry, the sand enters the lungs, 
and this inconvenience, added to the great heat, is what makes 
the wind so difficult to bear. Every thing it touches is parched 
and withered, and men and animals suffer from thirst. I do not 
delieve there is any actual poison in the atmosphere, but the sand 
and heat and dryness have the effect of poison. The sand pene- 
trates everywhere that the air can find its way ; the best way of 
guarding against it is to go inside the house, close all the doors 
and windows, and remain there till the wind has done blowing. 




Sand-Pillars during a Simoom. 

On the desert it is much hotter than in the cities, and, besides, 
there is no shelter from the wind. If the wind blows hard, the 
whole sand of the desert seems to be in motion, and sand-pillars 
are formed resembling water-spouts at sea. Caravans and armies 
are overcome by it, and unless they have a plentiful supply of 
water, they perish of thirst and are buried under the ridges 
formed by the moving sand. 

*' I left Cairo one morning when the khamseen was blowing 
and the thermometer stood at 112° in the shade. Four hours 
later I was at Alexandria and breathed the cool breeze of the 



98 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

Mediterranean at 65°. You can be sure the change was a great 
reHef and I had no desire to return to Cairo." 

Fred rose to his feet as the doctor sat down, and called atten- 
tion to the stitched boats mentioned by Marco. '' They are still 
in use," said he, '' but are being replaced by boats with iron 
fastenings, since iron has become much cheaper. On the coast 
of India, they have what they call a masullah boat, with very 
high sides, and having the planks fastened together with ropes. 




An Eastern Funeral Procession, with Hired Mourners. 



Any one who has landed at Madras or Pondicherry is familiar 
with them, and can testify that they are well adapted for passing 
through the surf." 

The doctor nodded assent to Fred's remark. He had a 
vivid recollection of landing at Madras in a masullah boat, in 
which he was thoroughly drenched before setting foot on the 
beach. 

'' It may seem odd to you," continued Fred, '' that they have 
hired mourners to weep at funerals, but such is really the case in 
many parts of the East. It is a regular profession or occupation 



THE ''ARBRE SOLr 



99 



in Egypt, and many a woman in Cairo, Damascus, or Bagdad 
makes her living by weeping at funerals." 

There was a ripple of laughter at this announcement, and then 
Fred proceeded to explain further the text of the book. 

'* The description of the desert of Kerman is excellent, and an- 
swers for the country as we find it to-day. The underground 
stream referred to is an artificial canal, such as can be found in 
many parts of Persia ; in the desert of Kerman there are several 
of these canals, one of them being thirty-six miles long. They 
were built a great while ago when the country was more populous 
than at present, and in many 
cases the people do not 
know where they come from. 

' ' The A rbre Sol or A rbre 
Sec mentioned by Marco," 
said Fred, *' was undoubt- 
edly the chinar or Oriental 
plane-tree. A modern writer 
on botany says the chinar is 
very tall and has large leaves; 
the fruit looks like a chest- 
nut but has no kernel, and 
the wood is brown and full 
of veins. There was a fable 
connected with the Arbre 
Sec to the effect that it was 
able to talk and make prophecies. One legend is that Alexander 
the Great came to the tree of the sun and asked it to tell him 
if he would be successful in battle, and an old picture represents 
him seeking the desired information. 

'' And now," he continued, '' I think Frank has rested suffi- 
ciently to be ready to give us more of the story for which all are 
waiting." Frank took the hint and said that they were about 
to learn the origin of the word '' assassin," 




Alexander the Great Worshipping the Arbre Sol. 
(From an Old Print.) 



lOO THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO, 

CONCERNING THE OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN. 

MULEHET is a country in which the Old Man of the Mountain dwelt 
in former days ; and the name means " Place of the Aram!' I will tell 
you his whole history as related by Messer Marco Polo, who heard it 
from several natives of that region. 

The Old Man was called in their langnage Aloadin. He had caused 
a certain valley between two mountains to be enclosed, and had turned it 
into a garden, the largest and most beautiful'that ever was seen, filled with 
every variety of fruit. In it were erected pavilions and palaces the most 
elegant that can be imagined, all covered with gilding and exquisite paint- 
ing. And there were runnels too, flowing freely with wine and milk and 
honey and water; and numbers of ladies, the most beautiful in the world, 
who could play on all manner of instruments, and sung most sweetly, and 
danced in a manner that it was charming to behold. For the Old Man de- 
sired to make his people believe that this was actually Paradise. So he 
had fashioned it after the description that Mahommet gave of his Para- 
dise, to wit, that it should be a beautiful garden running with conduits of 
wine and milk and honey and water, and sure enough the Saracens of 
those parts believed that it was Paradise ! 

Now no man was allowed to enter the Garden save those whom he 
intended to be his ASHISHIN. There was a Fortress at the entrance to 
the Garden, strong enough to resist all the world, and there was no other 
way to get in. He kept at his Court a number of the youths of the 
country, from twelve to twenty years of age, such as had a taste for soldier- 
ing, and to these he used to tell tales about Paradise, just as Mahommet 
had been wont to do, and they believed in him just as the Saracens be- 
lieve in Mahommet. Then he would introduce them into his garden, 
some four, or six, or ten at a time, having first made them drink a certain 
potion which cast them into a deep sleep, and then causing them to be 
lifted and carried in. So when they awoke they found themselves in the 
Garden. 

HOW THE OLD MAN USED TO TRAIN HIS ASSASSINS. 

When therefore they awoke, and found themselves in a place so 
charming, they deemed that it was Paradise in very truth. 



ORIGIN OF THE ASSASSINS. 



lOI 



Now this Prince whom we call the Old One kept his Court in grand 
and noble style, and made those simple hill-folks about him believe 
firmly that he was a great Prophet. And when he wanted one of his 
Ashishin to send on any mission, he would cause that potion whereof I 
spoke to be given to one of the youths in the Garden, and then had him 
carried into his Palace. So when the young man awoke, he found him- 
self in the Castle, and no longer in that Paradise ; whereat he was not 
over well pleased. He was then conducted to the Old Man's presence, 
and bowed before him with great veneration as believing himself to be in 
the presence of a true Prophet. The Prince would then ask whence he 




Scene in an Oriental Garden. 

came, and he would reply that he came from Paradise ! and that it was 
exactly such asMahommet had described it in the law. This of course 
gave the others who stood by, and who had not been admitted, the 
greatest desire to enter therein. 

So when the Old Man would have any Prince slain, he would say to 
such a youth : ^' Go thou and slay So and So ; and when thou returnest 
my Angels shall bear thee into Paradise. And shouldst thou die, nathe- 
less even so will I send my Angels to carry thee back into Paradise." So 
he caused them to believe ; and thus there was no order of his that they 
would not affront any peril to execute, for the great desire they had to 



102 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

get back into that Paradise of his. And in this manner the Old One got 
his people to murder any one whom he desired to get rid of. Thus, too, 
the great dread that he inspired all Princes withal, made them become his 
tributaries in order that he might abide at peace and amity with them. 

I should also tell you that the Old Man had certain others under 
him, who copied his proceedings and acted exactly in the same manner. 
One of- these was sent into the territory of Damascus, and the other into 
Curdistan. 

HOW THE OLD MAN CAME BY HIS END. 

Now it came to pass in the year 1252, that Alaii, Lord of the Tartars 
of the Levant, heard tell of these great crimes of the Old Man, and re- 
solved to make an end of him. So he took and sent one of his Barons 
with a great Army to that Castle, and they besieged it for three years, 
but they could not take it, so strong was it. And indeed if they had had 
food within, it never would have been taken. But after being besieged 
those three years they ran short of victual, and were taken. The Old 
Man was put to death with all his men, and the Castle with its Garden of 
Paradise was levelled with the ground. And since that time he has had 
no successor ; and there was an end to all his villainies. 

Now let us go back to our journey. 

CONCERNING THE CITY OF SAPURGAN. 

On leaving the Castle, you ride over fine plains and beautiful valleys, 
and pretty hill-sides producing excellent grass-pasture, and abundance of 
fruits, and all other products. Armies are glad to take up their quarters 
here on account of the plenty that exists. This kind of country extends 
for six days' journey, with a goodly number of towns and villages, in 
which the people are worshippers of Mahommet. Sometimes you also 
meet wath a tract of desert extending for fifty or sixty miles, or somewhat 
less, and in these deserts you find no water, but have to carry it along 
with you. The beasts do without drink until you have got across the 
desert tract and come to watering places. 

So after travelling for six days, as I have told you, you come to a city 
called Sapurgan. It has great plenty of every thing, but especially of 



BALC AND THE SURROUNDING COUNTRY. 



103 



the very best melons in the world. They preserve them by paring them 
round and round into strips, and drying them in the sun. When dry 
they are sweeter than honey, and are carried off for sale all over the 
country. There is also abundance of game here, both of birds and beasts. 

OF THE CITY OF BALC. 
Balc is a noble city and a great, though it was much greater in former 
days. But the Tartars and other nations have greatly ravaged and de- 
stroyed it. There were formerly many fine palaces and buildings of 
marble, and the ruins of them still remain. The people of the city 
tell that it was here that Alexander took to wife the daughter of Darius. 



IS 




Caravan Passing through a City. 

Here, you should be told, is the end of the empire of the Tartar Lord 
of the Levant. And this city is also the limit of Persia in the direction 
between east and northeast. 

When you have quitted Bale, you ride some twelve days between 
northeast and east, without finding any human habitation, for the people 
have all taken refuge in fastnesses among the mountains, on account of 
the banditti and armies that harassed them. There is plenty of water on 
the road, and abundance of game ; there are lions too. You can get no 
provisions on the road, and must carry with you all that you require for 
these twelve days. 



I04 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

OF TAICAN, AND THE MOUNTAINS OF SALT. ALSO OF THE PROVINCE 

OF CASEM. 

After those twelve days' journey you come to a fortified place called 
Taican, where there is a great corn market. It is a fine place, and the 
mountains that you see toward the south are all composed of salt. Peo- 
ple from all the countries round, to some thirty days' journey, come to 
fetch this salt, which is the best in the world, and is so hard that it can 
only be broken with iron picks. 'T is in such abundance that it would 
supply the whole world to the end of time. Other mountains there grow 
almonds and pistachioes, which are exceedingly cheap. 

When you leave this town and ride three days farther between north- 
east and east, you meet with many fine tracts full of vines and other fruits, 
and with a goodly number of habitations, and every thing to be had very 
cheap. The people are worshippers of Mahommet, and are an evil and 
murderous generation. They wear nothing on the head but a cord some 
ten palms long twisted round it. They are excellent huntsmen, and take 
a great deal of game ; in fact, they wear nothing but the skins of the 
beasts they have taken in the chase, for they make of them both coats 
and shoes. Indeed, all of them are acquainted with the art of dressing 
skins for these purposes. 

When you have ridden those three days, you find a town called Casem, 
which is subject to a count. His other towns and villages are on the hills, 
but through this town there flows a river of some size. There are a great 
many porcupines hereabouts, and very large ones too. When hunted 
with dogs, several of them will get together and huddle close, shooting 
their quills at the dogs, which get many a serious wound thereby. 

This town of Casem is at the head of a very great province, which 
is also called Casem. The people have a peculiar language. The 
peasants who keep cattle abide in the mountains, and have their dwellings 
in caves, w^hich form fine and spacious houses for them, and are made with 
ease, as the hills are composed of earth. 

After leaving the town of Casem, you ride for three days without find- 
ing a single habitation, or any thing to eat or drink, so that you have to 
carry with you every thing that you require. At the end of those three 



PECULIARITIES OF HASHEESH. 105 

days you reach a province called Badashan, about which we shall now 
tell you. 

Fred rose as soon as Frank paused and remarked that Polo's 
Old Man of the Mountain was described by several writers at 
different periods and the story was substantially the same. '' It 
is given," said Fred, '' in Chinese and Arabic manuscripts, and 
its romantic character seems to have pleased the fancy of the 
Orientals. According to the histories it had a base of truth, as 
there was a powerful prince in the north of Persia who used to 
intoxicate his followers with the Indian drug known as hasheesh 
or bhang, and while they were thus intoxicated they would com- 
mit any crime their master desired them to. Perhaps the doctor 
will tell us what hasheesh is." 

''It is a preparation from the Cannabis Indica or Indian 
hemp," said Dr. Allen. '' It is used in medicine as a substitute 
for opium, for producing sleep and relieving pain ; it is less certain 
in its action, but does not have the injurious effects of that well- 
known drug. An extract of our own hemp has the same properties 
as the Oriental article, but in a far milder degree. A person 
under the influence of hasheesh loses control of his faculties and 
his mind is filled with all sorts of fancies. Bayard Taylor gives 
a graphic description of his own experience with the drug during 
his stay in Damascus, where he and a companion made an experi- 
ment with it. By mistake they each took a very large dose of 
hasheesh and did not recover from its effects for several hours. 
Mr. Taylor's mind was filled with the most beautiful pictures 
of Oriental scenery, and while perfectly aware that he was in a 
room of a hotel at Damascus, he seemed to be travelling from 
one end of Asia to the other, as if he possessed the magic carpet 
of the Arabian Nights. His companion, a robust Kentuckian, 
imagined himself to be a locomotive. During the whole night 
he paced up and down the room moving his arms like the cranks 
of a railway engine, and breathing in short, quick puffs like the 
escape of steam from the cylinders. ' Hasheesheen ' would be 



:o6 



THE TR4 VELS OE MARCO POLO. 



the Arabic name of men under the influence of the drug, and 
from it you can easily derive the word ' assassin.' 

'' And while on the subject of the Old Man of the Moun- 
tain," continued the doctor, '* let me remark that the same name 
was applied by the Crusaders to the chief of a tribe in Syria, and 
that it was long retained by his successors. There is now living 
in Bombay the chief of the KhojaSy a sect embracing some fifty 
thousand followers, and having a religion which is a curious mix- 
ture of Moslem, Parsee, and Hindoo practices. He is descended 
from the Old Man of the Mountain mentioned by Polo, and 
_ receives a large income from the 

members of his sect. Mulehet is 
doubtless intended for Alamut, or 
' Eagle's Nest,' the principal fort- 
ress of The Prince of the Assassins 
at the time described by our author. 
Its position has been identified by 
modern travellers, though there is 
some dispute as to its exact local- 
ity. The history of the long siege 
and destruction of the castle is prac- 
tically correct, except that one of 
the fortresses held out fourteen 
years before surrendering," 

'' By Sapurgan," said Fred, 
as soon as the doctor had con- 
cluded, '' Polo doubtless means Shibrigan, a city about ninety 
miles west of Bale and standing in the middle of a fertile plain. 
The melons of this region are famous to-day, and the people still 
follow the practice of drying them in the sun as figs and 
raisins are dried in Europe. Colonel Yule says they are brought 
to Delhi and other cities of Northern India by the Afghan traders 
who come every year with camel-loads of dried fruits of various 
kinds. 

'' Bale or Balkh is the name of the most northern province of 




Agha Khan Mehetali, Present Successor 
of the Old Man of the Mountain. 



io8 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

Afghanistan and also of its capital. The city is of less conse- 
quence now than in Polo's day, as it has only two or three 
thousand inhabitants; the work of plundering and destruction 
has been kept up through all the centuries, and it is a wonder 
that any city remains there. The ruins of the ancient city cover 
a large extent of ground, but the modern Balkh is not at all im- 
posing in appearance, as it has only a mud wall for its protec- 
tion. At the time of its capture by Genghis Khan the whole 
population was marched out into the plain by companies under 
the pretence of counting them, but as soon as they were out of 
sight of the city they were massacred. This was the Mongol 
custom of making war ; as the armies advanced it was deter- 
mined to leave no enemies behind them to close the road. Do- 
gana is a puzzle to all the writers on Polo's travels, as none of 
them have been able to identify it. 

'' But we are better off with Taican," he continued, '' as it ex- 
ists to-day under the name of Tailkan, a city captured and 
destroyed by Genghis Khan after his usual fashion. At present 
it has only a few hundred inhabitants, but not far off are the 
mines of salt from which a large area of country is supplied. 
The people wear narrow fillets of goat's hair around their heads, 
and their coats are made of sheepskin. So you see our author's 
description is good for all ages. Casem is for Kishm, a town on 
the Varasch River, and the seat of a district ruler who corre- 
sponds to Polo's Count. In the vicinity there are artificial caves 
where people dwell ; the hills are composed of clay and pebbles, 
and it is not at all difficult to excavate them." 

The meeting was about to adjourn when one of the younger 
auditors asked if it was true that the porcupine could project his 
quills at an assailant. 

*' It was long believed that such was the case," the doctor 
answered, '' and even now you will occasionally find an advocate 
of the theory. The porcupine's quills are wholly defensive ; they 
are very slightly attached to the skin, so that when the animal is 
seized by an adversary the quills come off at the touch. But he 



THE PORCUPINE'S QUILLS, 109 

cannot throw them from him, though it is possible that when he 
is enraged some may drop off and fall to the ground or be shaken 
a short distance. When he is quiet the quills lie along his back, 
but when he is enraged they rise like the bristles on the back of 
a pig or the hair of an alarmed cat. The most vulnerable part 
of the porcupine is his head, and, therefore, when attacked, he 
endeavors to protect it from harm by turning his tail in the direc- 
tion of danger and rolling himself into a ball like a hedgehog. 
In Polo's time there was a general belief in the power of the por- 
cupine to project its quills, and hence the statement is not at all 
an unusual one." 

At the end of Dr. Allen's disquisition on the porcupine the 
Society adjourned for the evening. At their next meeting Frank 
opened the reading without any preliminaries, and proceeded to 
tell about Badashan and its peculiarities. 



CHAPTER VI. 

In Central Asia — Badakshan, Cashmere, Kashgar, Samarcand, and " The Roof of the World" — 
The Ovis Poli — Account of a Miracle — Phenomena of High Altitudes — Bolor and Kashgar — 
Samarcand — Vambery's Travels — How an Asiatic Prince Was Deceived. 

OF THE PROVINCE OF BADASHAN. 

Badashan is a Province inhabited by people who worship Mahom- 
met, and have a pecuHar language. It forms a very great kingdom, and 
the royalty is hereditary. All those of the royal blood are descended 
from King Alexander and the daughter of King Darius, who was Lord 
of the vast Empire of Persia. And all these kings call themselves in the 
Saracen tongue ZULCARNIAIN, which is as much as to say Alexander ; 
and this out of regard for Alexander the Great. 

It is in this province that those fine and valuable gems the Balas 
Rubies are found. They are got in certain rocks among the mountains, 
and in the search for them the people dig great caves underground, just 
as is done by miners for silver. There is but one special mountain that 
produces them, and it is called Syghinan. The stones are dug on the 
king's account, and no one else dares dig in that mountain on pain of 
forfeiture of life as well as goods ; nor may any one carry the stones out 
of the kingdom. But the king amasses them all, and sends them to 
other kings when he has tribute to render, or when he desires to offer a 
friendly present ; and such only as he pleases he causes to be sold. 
Thus he acts in order to keep the Balas at a high value ; for if he were 
to allow everybody to dig, they would extract so many that the world 
would be glutted with them, and they would cease to bear any value. 
Hence it is that he allows so few to be taken out, and is so strict in the 
matter. 

There is also in the same country another mountain, in which azure 
is found ; 't is the finest in the world, and is got in a vein like silver. 



A WONDERFUL BREED OF HORSES. 



Ill 



There are also other mountains which contain a great amount of silver 
ore, so that the country is a very rich one ; but it is also (it must be 
said) a very cold one. It produces " numbers of excellent horses, re- 
markable for their speed. They are not shod at all, although constantly 
used in mountainous country, and on very bad roads. They go at a 
great pace even down steep descents, where other horses neither would 
nor could do the like. And Messer Marco was told that not long ago 
they possessed in that province a breed of horses descended from 
Alexander's horse Bucephalus, all of which had from their birth a 




Camp Scene in Badakshan. 

particular mark on the forehead. This breed was entirely in the hands 
of ,an uncle ot the king's ; and in consequence of his refusing to let the 
king have any of them, the latter put him to death. The widow then, 
in despite, destroyed the whole breed, and it is now extinct. 

The mountains of this country also supply Saker falcons of excellent 
flight, and plenty of Lanners likewise. Beasts and birds for the chase 
there are in great abundance. Good wheat is grown, and also barley 
without husk. They have no olive oil, but make oil from sesame, and 
also from walnuts. 



112 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



In the mountains there are vast numbers of sheep — 400, 500, or 600 
in a single flock, and all of them wild ; and though many of them are 
taken, they never seem to get aught the scarcer. 

Those mountains are so lofty that 't is a hard day's work, from 
morning till evening, to get to the top of them. On getting up, you 
find an extensive plain, with great abundance of grass and trees, and 
copious springs of pure water running down through rocks and ravines^ 




A Flock of Mountain Sheep. 

In those brooks are found trout and many other fish of dainty kinds, 
and the air in those regions is so pure, and residence there so healthful, 
that when the men who dwell below in the towns, and in the valleys 
and plains, find themselves attacked by any kind of fever or other 
ailment that may hap, they lose no time in going to the hills ; and 
after abiding there two or three days, they quite recover their health 
through the excellence of that air. And Messer Marco said he had 



HOW THE LADIES DRESS. 113 

proved this by experience : for when in those parts he had been ill for 
about a year, but as soon as he was advised to visit that mountain, he 
did so and got well at once. 

In this kingdom there are many strait and perilous passes, so diffi- 
cult to force that the people have no fear of invasion. Their towns and 
villages also are on lofty hills, and in very strong positions. They are 
excellent archers, and much given to the chase ; indeed, most of them are 




Ancient Silver Dish of Debased Greek Art, formerly in the Possession of the Princes of Badak- 
shan, now in the India Museum. Four Ninths of the Diameter of the Original. 

dependent for clothing on the skins of beasts, for stuffs are very dear 
among them. The great ladies, however, are arrayed in stuffs, and I will 
tell you the style of their dress ! They all wear trousers made of cotton 
cloth, and into the making of these some will put 60, 80, or even 100 ells 
of stuff. 

OF THE PROVINCE OF PASHAI. 

You must know that ten days' journey to the south of Badashan 
there is a Province called Pashai, the people of which have a peculiar 
language, and are Idolaters, of a brown complexion. They are great 



114 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO, 



adepts in sorceries and the diabolic arts. The men wear earrings and 
brooches of gold and silver set with stones and pearls. They are a pesti- 
lent people and a crafty ; and they live upon flesh and rice. Their 
country is very hot. 

Now let us proceed and speak of another country which is seven days* 
journey from this one towards the south-east, and the name of which is 
KESHIMUR. 

OF THE PROVINCE OF KESHIMUR. 

Keshimur also is a Province inhabited by a people who are Idolaters 
and have a language of their own. They have an astonishing acquaint- 
ance with the devilries of enchantment ; insomuch that they make their 




A Lady of Cashmere with her Attendant. 

idols to Speak. They can also by their sorceries bring on changes of 
weather and produce darkness, and do a number of things so extraordi- 
nary that no one without seeing them would believe them. Indeed, this 
country is the very original source from which Idolatry has spread 
abroad. 

In this direction you can proceed further till you come to the Sea 
of India. 

The men are brown and lean, but the women, taking them as brunettes, 
are very beautiful. The food of the people is flesh, and milk, and rice. 
The clime is finely tempered, being neither very hot nor very cold^ 



CUSTOMS OF THE IDOLA TERS, 



115 



There are numbers of towns and villages in the country, but also forest 
and desert tracts, and strong passes, so that the people have no fear of 
anybody, and keep their independence, with a king of their own to rule 
and do justice. 

There are in this country Eremites (after the fashion of those parts), 
who dwell in seclusion and practise great abstinence in eating and drink- 
ing. They keep from all sins forbidden in their law, so that they are 
regarded by their own folk as very holy persons. They live to a very 
great age. 

There are also a number of idolatrous abbeys and monasteries. The 
people of the province do not kill ani- 
mals nor spill blood ; so if they want to 
eat meat they get the Saracens who 
dwell among them to play the butcher. 
The coral which is carried from our 
parts of the world has a better sale there 
than in any other country. 

Now we will quit this country, and 
not go any further in the same direc- 
tion ; for if we did so we should enter 
India ; and that I do not wish to do at 
present. For, on our return journey, 
I mean to tell you about India : all in 
regular order. Let us go back therefore 

to Badashan, for we cannot otherwise Ancient Buddhist Temple at Pandrethan 
1 . in Cashmere. 

proceed on our journey. 




Frank took his seat and Fred rose to comment on v^hat had 
been read. 

'' The Badashan of Polo," said he, ''is the Badakshan of to- 
day. It has been visited very little by modern travellers so that 
our knowledge of it is not extensive ; the people are Moslems as 
in the time of Marco, and while those of the plains and valleys 
speak Persian and Turkish, those of the mountains have a pecul- 
iar language or dialect of their own. They are not hospitable 



ii6 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

to strangers, and one of their chief occupations is to make raids 
on their neighbors, whom they hold or sell as slaves. About 
sixty years ago the tables were turned upon them ; they were 
conquered by the Afghans and great numbers of the people of 
Badakshan were carried into slavery. Since that time they have 
partially regained their independence and have compromised 
with their conquerors by paying a tribute every year to the rulers 
of Afghanistan in order to escape the inconvenience of slavery. 




A Robbers' Raid — Attacking a Camp at Night. 

'' Badakshan is described as a country of fertile valleys and 
rich pastures, and the people have great flocks of sheep and 
droves of horses. In summer they take them to the mountains, 
and when the cold weather comes on, return again to the valleys. 
The change of pasturage is an important event, and sometimes 
the mountain gorges through which they travel are filled for 
many hours with their flocks and herds." 



WILD SHEEP OF THE MOUNTAINS. 



117 



'' Marco speaks of the sheep being wild," said one of the 
audience. '' Are they of the same kind as the tame sheep in the 
flocks ? " 

'' Probably not," was the reply ; '' at least such is the general 




Passing a Gorge in the Mountains. 

Opinion. Colonel Yule thinks they are what is called Kach- 
kar in the language of the country, and described scientifi- 
cally under the name of Ovis Vignei. We will have something 
more on the subject of wild sheep after Frank has read a little 
further. 



ii8 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

" The present Mir or Prince of Badakshan does not claim his 
descent from Alexander the Great, as Marco relates, though his 
ancestors doubtless did so. Their claim was supported by tradi- 
tion, and they possessed several silver dishes which were of 
Greek origin and had descended from father to son for a great 
many generations. One of these dishes was sold by the Princes 
of Badakshan during their subjection to the Afghans, and is now 
in the India Museum at London. Two other dishes of the 
same kind were bought by a private gentleman and are now in 
possession of his family. 

" The story of the horses descended from the famous steed 
of Alexander the Great is interesting and shows the Oriental 
ability for romancing. The horses of Badakshan are famous 
for their fine qualities, and one object of the Afghans in making 
war upon the country was to get a plentiful supply of these 
animals." 

" What about the mines of rubies and other precious things ?" 
inquired the youth who made the interrogatory relative to the 
wild sheep of Badakshan. 

" The mines are still in existence," Fred answered, '' and the 
royal monopoly continued until the country was conquered by 
the Afghans in the early part of the present century. The 
rubies are not obtained in large quantities, and the quality is 
very poor, so that we must take Marco's story with a great deal 
of seasoning. Mines of iron, lead, and other substances are in 
the mountains, but not extensively worked, and as for silver 
mines, no modern traveller has been able to hear of them. 

*' What Marco says of the healthiness of the mountains may 
be said of mountainous land in other parts of the world. There 
is a plateau or elevated plain in Badakshan which answers well to 
his description, and as he had experienced many hardships in his 
travels in the lower country, it is no wonder that he found the 
upper regions delightful. Europeans living in India go to the 
hill country in summer for the restoration of their health, and 
they find, as Marco did, that they quite recover in a very few 
days. 



ORIENTAL FASHIONS. 



119 



" Now," said Fred, '' we come to something that will interest 
our sisters and mothers, as it refers to the dress of the ladies of 
Badakshan." 

There was a rustle of silk and other things in the assemblage, 
and it was evident that ail his fair auditors were intent upon 
what he was about to say. When silence had been obtained 
Fred proceeded. 

*' The ladies of Badakshan do not wear such extensive gar- 
ments in our day as in Polo's time," 
said Fred, '' but the custom pre- 
vails in other parts of the East. 
One writer says that the ladies' 
trowsers in Northern India might 
justify Marco's liberal estimate of 
the quantity of material required 
to make them, and the same is the 
case in Afghanistan, Turkey, and 
Egypt. To look at the walking or 
riding dress of an Egyptian lady 
on the streets of Cairo, you can 
readily be pardoned for believing 
that not less than a hundred yards 
of silk and muslin had gone into its 
composition." 

One of the fair listeners asked 
if the fashions for ladies' dresses 
in the East changed as much as in 
Europe or America. 

" Not by any means," was the 
reply. '' Fashion is the same 

from one year to another, and we might almost say from one 
century to another. The garments are the same for all seasons 
of the year, except that they are of heavier material for winter 
than for summer. I will show you some pictures of ladies In 
Oriental dress, and you may say how you would like to have the 
same fashion introduced here." 




In-door Dress of an Egyptian Lady. 



I20 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



Fred took from a shelf of the Hbrary a copy of Lanes 
" Modern Egyptians," and opening it at the chapter on dress, 
handed it to his questioner. The session of the Society was 
temporarily suspended, and after the pictures had been exam- 
ined, the young ladies voted unanimously, without leaving their 
places, that they vastly preferred the costume of the Occident to 
that of the Orient. They were especially opposed to the veil 

which concealed so much of the 
face. One young lady remarked 
that it was impossible to say 
whether a girl was pretty or not 
when her face was concealed, and 
she would n't wear such a veil, 
no matter whether it was the 
fashion or not. It is proper to 
remark that she was accounted 
handsome, at least by the young 
men of her acquaintance. 

Dr. Allen said the women of 
Egypt and Turkey were eman- 
cipating themselves somewhat 
from the rigid rules of the Mos- 
lems regarding dress. '' Many 
of them," said he, '' have adopted 
French boots in place of the 
clumsy shoe with pointed toes and 
they wear a head-covering which 
is fashioned after the European 
manner. The yashmak, or veil, is of a material so thin that the 
face can be seen through it, and the walking dress is gathered in 
at the waist and narrowed in the sleeves, so that all figures do 
not present the same appearance. They go out more than was 
formerly the custom, and with more freedom. Altogether," he 
concluded, '' the women of the East are more progressive than 
the men, and through the influences of Europe there has been a 




Out-door Dress of an Egyptian Lady, 



CASHMERE SHAWLS. 



21 



great advance in the condition of women in Turkey and Egypt 
in the past twenty years. Formerly it was not considered worth 
while to teach women to read, but latterly schools have been 
established for their instruction, and not only are they educated 
in the language and customs of their own countries, but a great 
many of them can speak and read French or Italian." 

There was a round of applause at the end of the doctor s 
remarks, and then Fred resumed his comments upon the story 
of Marco. 

'* Pashai has not been clearly identified," said he ; '' and we 
will pass to Keshimur, by which you will readily understand 
Marco means Cashmere." 

'* That 's where the fine shawls come from," remarked the 
young lady who had shown such aversion to the Egyptian veil. 

** Yes," responded Fred, '' Cashmere is famous for shawls, 
and also for leather goods, embroidery, ottar of roses, and other 
things, but shawls are the principal articles of export." 

Another young lady wished to know how the Cashmere 
shawls were made. Fred looked inquiringly at Dr. Allen, and 
the latter came to his aid. 

** It is said that there are about thirty thousand shawls made 
in Cashmere every year," said the doctor. '' Most of them are 
sent to India, and from there many find their way to Europe 
and America. Sixteen thousand looms are kept at work, and 
some of the shawls require the labor of three or four men for a 
whole year." 

'' How is it that shawls can be sold at the prices we pay for 
them?" inquired another of the fair listeners. ''I won't say 
how much my shawl cost, but it would be very low wages for 
three men for a whole year." 

'' There are two or three reasons for that," replied the doctor, 
with a smile. " In the first place labor is very low in Cashmere, 
and secondly the probabilities are that nineteen twentieths of the 
shawls called ''Cashmere" never came from that country at all, 
and I could almost say ninety-nine out of a hundred. They are 



122 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



made In Umritsur, Lahore, Delhi, and other cities of Northern 
India and also in the looms of France and England. A genuine 
Cashmere shawl of fine quality will sell in London for five hun- 
dred dollars, and some shawls will bring four or five times that 
figure. They are made from the hair of the Cashmere or Thibetan 
goat. A single goat produces only three ounces of hair suitable 
for shawl-weaving ; it is spun into thread, and dyed after the spin- 
ning, and the greatest care is exercised from the beginning to 
the end of the work." 

** By idolatry," Fred continued, as soon as the doctor resumed 

his seat, '' our author doubtless 
means Buddhism, which was the 
religion of Cashmere at the time 
of his visit. Moreover, it was the 
country whence the religion was 
spread through Thibet by means 
of missionaries who went out from 
Cashmere to preach it. The jug- 
glers and necromancers of Cash- 
mere were among the most skilful 
of that time, and at the present day 
many of their tricks defy detection. 
So it is not at all surprising that 
Marco was taken in by them, and believed that they had power over 
the weather, and upon light and darkness. 

'' By the doctrines of Buddhism," he continued, " it is for- 
bidden to take life, and Buddhist priests should not eat animal 
food, though many of them violate the command. Consequently, 
when an animal is to be slaughtered, he is turned over to a 
Moslem, or, at all events, to some one who is not tender in the 
conscience about the work of butchering." 

The doctor interrupted the narrative with a little anecdote. 

" I was once," said he, *' crossing the desert of Mongolia 

from Peking to Kiachta. The Mongols have large flocks of 

sheep, and are ready to sell them to strangers, though they 




eta 



Mongol Image of Buddha. 



CONTRASTS OF TWO RELIGIONS. 123 

sometimes make a pretence of insisting that the animals must 
not be killed. At the first halting-place in the desert we bought 
a sheep from one of the herdsmen, and then asked him to 
slaughter it for us. He refused to do so, although he well knew 
that we wanted it for food. He told us to kill the sheep our- 
selves, which, of course, we did not wish to do. 

" My companion suggested that it was not proper for us to 
kill an animal. Thereupon the dealer supposed we must be 
Lamas, and called up a professional butcher, who performed the 
work in fewer minutes than I am willing to say. There is a re- 
markable contrast between the Buddhist and Moslem religions 
in this particular. Buddhism forbids the taking of life, and has 
no restrictions upon making representations of men or other 
living beings. Mohammed forbade his followers to make any 
representations of any thing that has life, but there is not the 
slightest restraint upon its destruction. His religion was spread 
by means of wars in which those who did not adopt the faith 
were murdered without mercy." 

As the doctor sat down Fred nodded to Frank, and the 
latter resumed the reading. 

OF THE GREAT RIVER OF BADASHAN. 

In leaving Badashan you ride twelve days between east and north- 
east, ascending a river that runs through land belonging to a brother of 
the Prince of Badashan, and containing a good many towns and villages 
and scattered habitations. The people are Mahommetans, and valiant in 
war. At the end of those twelve days you come to a province of no great 
size, extending indeed no more than three days' journey in any direction, 
and this is called VOKHAN. The people worship Mahommet, and they 
have a peculiar language. They are gallant soldiers, and they have a 
chief whom they call NONE, which is as much as to say Count, and they 
are liegemen to the Prince of Badashan. 

There are numbers of wild beasts of all sorts in this region. And 
when you leave this little country, and ride three days north-east, always 
among mountains, you get to such a height that 't is said to be the high- 



124 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

est place in the world ! And when you have got to this height you find 
a great lake between two mountains, and out of it a fine river running 
through a plain clothed with the finest pasture in the world; insomuch 
that a lean beast there will fatten to your heart's content in ten days. 
There are great numbers of all kinds of wild beasts ; among others, wild 
sheep of great size, whose horns are good six palms in length. From 
these horns the shepherds make great bowls to eat from, and they use the 
horns also to enclose folds for their cattle at night. Messer Marco was 
told also that the wolves were numerous, and killed many of those wild 
sheep. Hence quantities of their horns and bones were found, and these 
were made into great heaps by the way-side, in order to guide travellers 
when snow was on the ground. 



MtlUM^XUt^ 







Ovis Poll, the Great Sheep of Pamier. 

The Plain is called Pamier, and you ride across it for twelve days to- 
gether, finding nothing but a desert without habitations or any green 
thing, so that travellers are obliged to carry with them whatever they 
have need of. The region is so lofty and cold that you do not even see 
any birds flying. And I must notice also that because of this great cold, 
fire does not burn so brightly, nor give out so much heat as usual, nor 
does it cook food so effectually. 

Now, if we go on with our journey toward the east-north-east, we 
travel a good forty days, continually passing over mountains and hills, or 
through valleys, and crossing many rivers and tracts of wilderness. And 



THE PEOPLE OF K ASH GAR. 



125 



in all this way you find neither habitation of man, nor any green thing, 
but must carry with you whatever you require. The country is called 
BOLOR. The people dwell high up in the mountains, and are savage 
Idolaters, living only by the chase, and clothing themselves in the skins 
of beasts. They are in truth an evil race. 

OF THE KINGDOM OF CASCAR. 



Cascar is a region lying between north-east and east, and constituted 
a kingdom in former days, but now it is subject to the Great Kaan. The 
people worship Mahommet. 
There are a good number of 
towns and villages, but the 
greatest and finest is Cascar 
itself. The inhabitants live by 
trade and handicrafts ; they 
have beautiful gardens and 
vineyards, and fine estates, and 
grow a great deal of cotton. 
From this country many mer- 
chants go forth about the world 
on trading journeys. The na- 
tives are a wretched, niggardly 
set of people ; they eat and 
drink in miserable fashion. 
There are in the country many 
Nestorian Christian who have 
churches of their own. The 
people of the country have a 
peculiar language, and the ter- 
ritory extends for five days' 
journey. 

OF THE GREAT CITY OF SAMARCAN. 




Head of a Native of Kashgar. 



Samarcan is a great and noble city towards the north-west, inhabited 
by both Christians and Saracens, who are subject to the great Kaan's 



26 



THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 



nephew, Caidou by name ; he is, however, at bitter enmity with the 
Kaan. I will tell you of a great marvel that happened at this city. 

It is not a great while ago that SiGATAY, own brother to the Great 
Kaan, who was Lord of this country and of many an one besides, became 
a Christian. The Christians rejoiced greatly at this, and they built a 
great church in the city, in honor of John the Baptist ; and by his name 
the church was called. And they took a very fine stone which belonged 
to the Saracens, and placed it as the pedestal of a column in the middle 
of the church, supporting the roof. It came to pass, however, that 
Sigatay died. Now the Saracens were full of rancor about that stone 




View of Kashgar. 

that had been theirs, and which had been set up in the church of the 
Christians ; and when they saw that the Prince was dead, they said one 
to another that now was the time to get back their stone, by fair means 
or by foul. And that they might well do, for they were ten times as 
many as the Christians. So they gat together and went to the church 
and said that the stone they must and would have. The Christians 
acknowledged that it was theirs indeed, but offered to pay a large sum of 
money and so be quit. Howbeit, the others replied that they never 
would give up the stone for anything in the world. And words ran so 
high that the Prince heard thereof, and ordered the Christians either to 
arrange to satisfy the Saracens, if it might be, with money, or to give up 



AN EASTERN MIRACLE. 127 

the stone. And he allowed them three days to do either the one thing 
or the other. 

The Saracens would on no account agree to leave the stone where it 
was, and this out of pure despite to the Christians, for they knew well 
enough that if the stone were stirred the church would come down by the 
run. So the Christians were in great trouble and wist not what to do. 
But they did do the best thing possible ; they besought Jesus Christ that 
he would consider their case, so that the holy church should not come to 
destruction, nor the name of its Patron Saint, John the Baptist, be 
tarnished by its ruin. And so when the day fixed by the Prince came 
round, they went to the church betimes in the morning, and lo, they 
found the stone removed from under the column ; the foot of the column 
was without support, and yet it bore the load as stoutly as before ! 
Between the foot of the column and the ground there was a space of 
three palms. So the Saracens had away their stone, and mighty little joy 
withal. It was a glorious miracle, nay, it is so, for the column still so 
standeth, and will stand as long as God pleaseth. 

Now let us quit this and continue our journey. 

'' The upper part of the Oxus, which Is locally called the 
Panja," said Fred, *' was undoubtedly the river described by Marco 
on the route from Badakshan. The same road has been fol- 
lowed by modern travellers, and the condition of the country Is 
very nearly what It was In Polo's time. There are several 
provinces from which the Mir or Prince of Badakshan may 
demand soldiers In time of war ; they pay him a small tribute, 
but In nearly every other respect they are Independent. The 
country Is not densely populated, and wild beasts are abundant 
enough to satisfy the needs of the hunter. 

'' Now we come to an Interesting part of the story," continued 
Fred. '' The plain of Pamir has been recently explored, and 
found to be exactly as Polo describes It. For centuries It was 
believed that he was romancing In this part of the narrative, and 
It remained for an English explorer. Lieutenant Wood, to estab- 
lish his veracity. The Tartars call this plain ' The Roof of the 



128 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



World' It lies between two ranges of mountains, and is about 
two hundred miles long by twenty in width. Lieutenant Wood 
found a lake in the centre, from which flows one of the head 
streams of the Oxus, and he was told that the pasturage was so 
rich that lean animals became fat in a very short time. The 
elevation of the lake was 15,600 feet above sea level, and the 
mountains around it varied from five hundred to thirty-five 
hundred feet in height above the lake." 




" The Roof of the World." 

" How about the wild sheep, the birds, and the difficulty of 
making fire burn ? " asked one of the younger auditors. 

'' I am coming to the sheep and the other things," answered 
Fred. '' The wild sheep are there, and they are very large. A 
pair of horns, each measuring fourteen and a half inches around 
the base, and having a length, following the curve, of four feet 
eight inches, were sent from ' The Roof of the World ' to the 
British Museum. The animal is scientifically known as the Ovis 



THE OVIS POLL 129 

Polly in honor of our traveller, who first described it. The popu- 
lar story of that region is that the horns are so large that one 
man cannot lift a pair, and the carcass forms a load for two 
horses. Hear what Wood says about this wild sheep : 

" Their horns supply shoes for the Kirghiz horses, and also a good 
substitute for stirrup-irons. We saw numbers of horns strewed about in 
every direction, the spoils of the Kirghiz hunter. Some of these were of 
an astonishingly large size, and belonged to an animal of a species between 
a goat and a sheep, inhabiting the steppes of Pamir. The ends of the horns 
projecting above the snow often indicated the direction of the road ; and 
wherever they were heaped in large quantities and disposed in a semi- 
circle, there our escort recognized the site of a Kirghiz summer encamp- 
ment. * * * We came in sight of a rough-looking building, decked 
out with the horns of the wild sheep, and all but buried amongst the 
snow. It was a Kirghiz burying-ground." 

'' And he further says," continued Fred, *' that these animals 
go in great herds, and are very 
difficult to kill. The wolves 
are their greatest enemies, but 
perhaps the hunters have be- 
come more destructive than 
formerly on account of the 

i- Horns of the Ovis Poll. 

improvements m rire-arms. 

"■ It is probable that Marco crossed the plain of Pamir in the 
season when no birds were there. The same was the case with 
Lieutenant Wood, but he was told that the lake was full of 
water-fowl in summer. The peculiarities of fire at great eleva- 
tions are the same as mentioned by Marco, but they are not con- 
fined to that part of the world. At fifteen thousand feet high 
water boils at one hundred and seventy-five degrees, and conse- 
quently its cooking power is far less than at lower elevations." 

"■ In the early days of the settlement of California," inter- 
rupted the doctor, "■ the miners in the mountains were greatly 
puzzled over this matter. Their staple food was stewed beans, 




130 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

and they found it took much longer to cook their dinners than in 
the valley below. A story is told of some newly arrived miners, 
who boiled their beans the customary time and then found them 
nearly as hard as ever. They believed they had been defrauded' 
in making their purchases, and one of them went to the mining- 
camp a few miles away and demanded the return of their money 
or, instead of it, some * good ' beans. He accepted the explana- 
tion of the phenomenon with much reluctance, and was only 
convinced when the other miners assured him that the higher he 
went in the mountains the longer it would take to prepare his 
dinner." 

'' Bolor is a region not marked on modern maps," continued 
Fred, as soon as the doctor had ended his story. '' It is applied 
rather indefinitely to the region lying on the upper part of the 
Thibetan range, but has no distinct boundaries. Marco must 
have travelled slowly in continuing his journey to Cascar, or 
Kashgar, as it is now known. He seems to have been forty days 
upon the road, which modern explorers have traversed in less 
than twenty. But perhaps he stopped to hunt the wild sheep or 
other game, and, if so, we can excuse him. 

'' I have nothing to say of Marco's description of Kashgar," 
said Fred, '' except that it is correct as far as it goes. The city 
contains about seventy thousand inhabitants, and is surrounded 
by a wall pierced with four gates. A strong garrison is always 
kept there, and the place has a large trade with Central Asia. 
Kashgar was an important city more than two thousand years 
ago, and at one time it was the capital of Turkestan. It stands 
on a plain near a range of mountains, and is on the bank of a 
river crossed by a bridge of boats. There are said to be twenty- 
eight thousand houses within the walls, and they are mostly built 
of sun-dried bricks, with flat roofs. 

'' There were many Christians at Kashgar in Polo's time and 
also at Samarcand which he does not appear to have visited in 
person. Samarcand now belongs to Russia, but was, until its 
capture by the Russians in 1868, one of the strongholds of the 



ADVENTURES OF ARMINIUS VAMBERY. 



131 



Moslems and no Christian was allowed to live there. But it is 
getting late, and if you wish to know more about Samarcand, I 
refer you to Vambery's description in his ' Travels in Central 
Asia.' He visited the city in 1863 under the pretence of being 
a Moslem dervish or pilgrim from Constantinople. During his 
stay he was constantly under suspicion, and had a narrow escape 
with his life. The Emir sent for him to a special audience, and 
it was only by extreme impudence he convinced the ruler that he 




View of Samarcand. 

was not an Englishman in disguise. As soon as he had arrived 
in the audience chamber he walked up to the Emir, pushed aside 
an astonished prime-minister, and, after reciting a prayer, seated 
himself in the minister's place. The proceeding was quite in 
accordance with the character of a dervish, and its boldness 
seemed to please the Emir and quite disarmed his suspicions. 
Then followed a dialogue in which Vambery said he had made 



132 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

the journey from Constantinople in order to visit the holy places 
of Turkestan and contemplate the sacred beauty of the Emir, 
whose fame had spread through the world. 

'' Samarcand has lost much of its ancient greatness and many 
of its buildings are in ruins. It contains the tomb of Timour or 
Tamerlane, the great conqueror, and several magnificent mosques 
and colleges, the latter containing students from all parts of Cen- 
tral Asia. The city is surrounded by gardens, and since its occu- 
pation by the Russians its prosperity has greatly increased. The 
old citadel of Tamerlane is now occupied by a Russian garrison, 
and the city has been made the capital of a large region sur- 
rounding it." 

Fred paused and looked toward the President who rapped on 
the table and declared the evening's entertainment at an end. 



CHAPTER VII. 

Khotan, Yarkand, and the Great Desert of Gobi — Fables about Cotton and the Voices of the 
Desert — Buddhist Customs — Burning the Dead — Colossal Idols of Buddha — Asbestos Mines 
— Cloth Uninjured by Fire — Prester John — An Historical Myth. 

'' Thus far," said Frank at the opening of the next session of 
the Society, '*we have had no mention of cotton, which is one of 
the products of Central Asia. Large quantities have been sent 
to Russia every year for a long time, and since the extension of 
the railway to Orenburg, on the Siberian frontier, the shipments 
have greatly increased. I am about to speak of Cotan, or Kho- 
tan from which the plant derives its name, and whence the 
knowledge of it first came to Europe. Strange stories were told 
about it before its real characteristics were known. One travel- 
ler called it the ' sheep-plant,' and said it grew on a stalk and 
produced wool. ' It has eyes, ears, and horns,' said he, ' and 
when it is disturbed it makes a sound like the bleating of a 
lamb.' Its culture was brought to Spain by the Moors in the 
tenth century, and from there spread through Southern Europe. " 
The earliest notice we have of it was by Herodotus, who speaks 
of the trees of India bearing fleeces more delicate than those of 
sheep, and that the natives used them for the manufacture of 
cloths. In Marco's day cotton was known in Venice, but had not 
been brought there in large quantities. 

'' Now we will see what our author has to say." With this 
remark Frank proceeded to read : 

OF THE PROVINCE OF YARCAN. 

Yarcan is a province five days' journey in extent. The people 
follow the Law of Mahommet, but there are also Nestorian and Jacobite 
Christians. They are subject to the same Prince that I mentioned, the 

133 



134 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

Great Kaan's nephew. They have plenty of everything, particularly of 
cotton. The inhabitants are also great craftsmen, but a large proportion 
of them have swoln legs, and great crops at the throat, which arises from 
some quality in their drinking-water. As there is nothing else worth 
telling we may pass on. 

OF A PROVINCE CALLED COTAN. 

COTAN is a province lying between north-east and east, and is eight 
days' journey in length. The people are subject to the Great Kaan, and 
are all worshippers of Mahommet. There are numerous towns and 
villages in the country, but Cotan, the capital, is the most noble of all, 
and gives its name to the kingdom. Everything is to be had there in 
plenty, including abundance of cotton, with flax, hemp, wheat, wine, and 
the like. The people have vineyards and gardens and estates. They 
live by commerce and manufactures, and are no soldiers. 

OF THE PROVINCE OF PEIN. 

Pein is a province five days' in length, lying between east and north- 
east. The people are worshippers of Mahommet, and subjects of the 
Great Kaan. There are a good number of towns and villages, but the 
most noble is Pein, the capital of the kingdom. There are rivers in this 
country in which quantities of Jasper and Chalcedony are found. The 
people have plenty of all products, including cotton. They live by 
manufactures and trade. But they have a custom that I must relate. If 
the husband of any woman go away upon a journey and remain away for 
more than 20 days, as soon as that term is past the woman may 
marry another man, and the husband also may then marry whom he 
pleases. 

I should tell you that all the provinces that I have been speaking of, 
from Cascar forward, and those I am going to mention, as far as the city 
of Lop, belong to Great Turkey. 

OF THE province OF CHARCHAN. 

Charchan is a Province of Great Turkey, lying between north-east and 
east. The people worship Mahommet. There are numerous towns and 



WHERE JASPER IS FOUND. 



135 



villages, and the chief city of the kingdom bears its name, Charchan. 
The Province contains rivers which bring down Jasper and Chalcedony, 
and these are carried for sale into Cathay, where they fetch great prices. 
The whole of the Province is sandy, and so is the road all the way from 
Pein, and much of the water that you find is bitter and bad. . However, 
at some places you do find fresh and sweet water. When an army passes 
through the land, the people escape with their wives, children, and cattle 
a distance of two or three days' journey into the sandy waste ; and know- 




Entrance to a Mine of Jasper, 
ing the spots where water is to be had they are able to live there, and to 
keep their cattle alive, whilst it is impossible to discover them ; for the 
wind immediately blows the sand over their track. 

Quitting Charchan, you ride some five days through the sands, finding 
none but bad and bitter water, and then you come to a place where the 
water is sweet. And now I will tell you of a province called Lop, in 
which there is a city, also called LoP, which you come to at the end of 
those five days. It is at the entrance of the great Desert, and it is here 
that travellers repose before entering on the Desert. 



136 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



OF THE CITY OF LOP AND THE GREAT DESERT. 

Lop is a large town at the edge of the Desert, which is called the 
Desert of Lop, and is situated between east and north-east. It belongs 
to the Great Kaan, and the people worship Mahommet. Now, such per- 
sons as propose to cross the Desert take a week's rest in this town to 
refresh themselves and their cattle ; and then they make ready for the 
journey, taking with them a month's supply for man and beast. On 
quitting this city they enter the Desert. 

The length of this Desert is so great that 't is said it would take a 




Caravan Overtaken by a Storm in the Desert. 

year and more to ride from one end of it to the other. And here, where 
its breadth is least, it takes a month to cross it. 'T is all composed of 
hills and valleys of sand, and not a thing to eat is to be found on it. 
But after riding for a day and a night you find fresh water, enough may- 
hap for some fifty or a hundred persons with their beasts, but not for 
more. And all across the Desert you will find water in like manner, that 
is to say, in some twenty-eight places altogether you will find good 
water, but in no great quantity ; and in four places also you find brackish 
water. 



STRANGE SOUNDS IN THE DESERT. 137 

Beasts there are none; for there is nought for them to eat. But there 
is a marvellous thing related of this Desert, which is that when travellers 
are on the move by night, and one of them chances to lag behind or to 
fall asleep or the like, when he tries to gain his company again he will 
hear spirits talking, and will suppose them to be his comrades. Sometimes 
the spirits will call him by name ; and thus shall a traveller ofttimes be 
led astray so that he never finds his party. And in this way many have 
perished. Sometimes the stray travellers will hear as it were the tramp 
and hum of a great cavalcade of people away from the real line of road, 
and taking this to be their own company they will follow the sound ; and 
when day breaks they find that a cheat has been put on them and that 
they are in an ill plight. Even in the day time one hears those spirits 
talking. And sometimes you shall hear the sound of a variety of musical 
instruments, and still more commonly the sound of drums. Hence in 
making this journey 't is customary for travellers to keep close together. 
All the animals too have bells at their necks, so that they cannot easily 
get astray. And at sleeping-time a signal is put up to show the direc- 
tion of the next march. 

So thus it is that the Desert is crossed. 

CONCERNING THE GREAT PROVINCE OF TANGUT. 

After you have travelled thirty days through the Desert, as I have 
described, you come to a city called Sachiu, lying between north-east 
and east ; it belongs to the Great Kaan, and is in a province called Tan- 
GUT. The people are for the most part Idolaters, but there are also 
some Nestorian Christians and some Saracens. The Idolaters have a 
peculiar language, and are no traders, but live by their agriculture. They 
have a great many abbeys and minsters full of idols of sundry fashions, 
to which they pay great honor and reverence, worshipping them and 
sacrificing to them with much ado. For example, such as have children 
will feed up a sheep in honor of the idol, and at the New Year, or on 
the day of the Idol's Feast, they will take their children and the sheep 
along with them into the presence of the idol with great ceremony. Then 
they will have the sheep slaughtered and cooked, and again present it 



138 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



before the idol with like reverence, and leave it there before him, whilst 
they are reciting the offices of their worship and their prayers for the 
idol's blessing on their children. And, if you will believe them, the idol 
feeds on the meat that is set before it ! After these ceremonies they 
take up the flesh and carry it home, and call together all their kindred to 
eat it with them in great festivity, the idol-priests receiving for their por- 
tion the head, feet, entrails, and skin, with some part of the meat. After 
they have eaten, they collect the bones that are left and store them care- 
fully in a hutch. 




Burning the Dead. 

And you must know that all the Idolaters in the world burn their 
dead.. And when they are going to carry a body to the burning, the 
kinsfolk build a wooden house on the way to the spot, and drape it with 
cloths of silk and gold. When the body is going past this building, they 
call a halt and set before it wine and meat and other eatables ; and this 
they do with the assurance that the defunct will be received with the 
like attentions in the other world. All the minstrelsy in the town goes 
playing before the body ; and when it reaches the burning-place the 
kinsfolk are prepared with figures cut out of parchment and paper in the 
shape of men and horses and camels, and also with round pieces of paper 



FUNERAL CEREMONIES. 139 

like gold coins, and all these they burn along with the corpse. For they 
say that in the other world the defunct will be provided with slaves and 
cattle and money, just in proportion to the amount of such pieces of 
paper that has been burnt along with him. 

But they never burn their dead until they have sent for the astrolo- 
gers, and told them the year, the day, and the hour of the deceased 
person's birth, and when the astrologers have ascertained under what 
constellation, planet, and sign he was born, they declare the day on 
which by the rules of their art he ought to be burnt. And till that day 
arrive they keep the body, so that it is sometimes a matter of six months, 
more or less, before it comes to be burnt. 

Now the way they keep the body in the house is this : They make a 
cofifin first of a good span in thickness, very carefully joined and daintily 
painted. This they fill up with camphor and spices, stopping the joints 
with pitch and lime, and then they cover it with a fine cloth. Every day 
as long as the body is kept, they set a table before the dead covered with 
food ; and they will have it that the soul comes and eats and drinks : 
wherefore they leave the food there as long as would be necessary in 
order that one should partake. Thus they do daily. And worse still ! 
Sometimes those soothsayers shall tell them that 't is not good luck to 
carry out the corpse by the door, so they have to break a hole in the 
wall, and to draw it out that way when it is taken to the burning. And 
these, I assure you, are the practices of all the Idolaters of those 
countries. 

However, we will quit this subject, and I will tell you of another city 
which lies towards the north-west at the extremity of the desert. 

Frank paused, and was immediately followed by Fred. 

" Yarcan is the old name of the modern Yarkand," said the 
youth ; *' and the statement of Polo concerning the prevalence of 
goitre, or swelling of the glands of the neck, is quite correct. 
Mr. Shaw, who recently travelled through the country, says he 
saw many cases of it, and was continually appealed to for iodine 
which was supposed to be a cure for the disease. Perhaps Dr. 
Allen will tell us something about it." 



140 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

'' Goitre is a local disease," said the doctor, in response to 
Fred's invitation, ''and is found almost wholly in mountainous 
regions, where there is a large amount of lime in the drinking- 
water. It prevails in the Alps, Andes, and Himalaya Mountains, 
but is more noticeable in Switzerland than anywhere else. It is 
painless at first, but as the glands increase in size, the great 
weight causes a severe strain upon the muscles of the neck and 
face. The subject is not a pleasant one, and we will pass on to 
something else." 

" The identity of Pein," continued Fred, " has not been accu- 
rately settled, but it is supposed that it stands for Pima, which 
was not far from the modern city of Kiria. There are stories 
that many cities have been buried at different times under the 
sands of the desert of Gobi, and it is probable that such was the 
fate of Pima. The jasper and chalcedony described by Marco 
are doubtless intended for different kinds of jade which are 
found in Khotan and Yarkand." 

One of the auditors wished to know how jade was obtained. 

'* It is found in the beds of rivers in Khotan," replied Fred, 
'' and is sought by divers or gathered when the streams are low. 
The stones are brought to the banks of the river and broken, 
and the valuable mineral is found inside. It is also obtained 
from mines in the mountains, and sometimes the veins are of 
considerable extent. Jade is highly prized by the Chinese, who 
make it into personal ornaments, vases, and kindred articles. It 
is very hard, and admits of a high polish. Curiosity shops in 
China are abundantly supplied with specimens of jade-stone cut 
into many varieties of things, but the novice must be on his 
guard against deception. Jade-stone is imitated with wonderful 
cleverness, and a purchaser should always seek the aid of an 
expert before investing largely. 

'' Charchan and Lop are the modern Chachan and Lob, but 
our information about either of them is meagre. Lob is on the 
edge of the desert of Gobi, and about a hundred miles from 
Chachan. No European has visited either place in modern 



LEGENDS OF THE DESERT. 



[41 



times, and our knowledge is derived from the stories told by 
natives to English travellers at Yarkand and Kashgar. They 
all corroborate Marco's account, with due allowances for the 
changes which the centuries may have wrought. 

"■ The phenomenon of voices and other strange sounds in the 
desert is not confined to this one region nor to Polo's time. 
The legend has existed in all ages and in all the lonely parts of 
the world ; superstition has peopled every desert with demons. 




Modem Travellers in the Desert of Gobi, 

goblins, witches, and other supernatural creations, and not only 
the land, but the broad ocean, is said to abound in spirits good 
or evil. Perhaps," continued Fred, ''we are none of us entirely 
free from it." 

Some of the audience shook their heads, and indicated that 
they were not of the speaker's opinion. 

'' Well," said Fred, '' let us have a test case. How many of 
this party will volunteer to go alone to-morrow night after nine 



142 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



o'clock through the cemetery beyond the village along the road 
that leads through the swamp and back again ? It 's a walk of 
about a mile each way, and a very lonely one." 

Somehow his remark did not seem to be distinctly under- 
stood. At any rate nobody responded to his inquiry, and the 
subject was dropped with a brief explanation from Fred that 
the whirling of the sand in the wind frequently caused strange 
sounds in the desert, and it was easy enough to magnify them 
into the beating of drums or the notes of musical instruments. 




Buddhist Idols in a Chinese Temple. 

It was also well known that the mirage in the desert caused 
remarkable optical effects ; it causes lakes, rivers, mountains, 
cities, and forests to appear where there is only a wide waste of 
sand, and frequently it represented phantom caravans and armies 
marching through the scene of desolation. In the ages when 
superstition prevailed, it is no wonder that the story told by 
Marco of the great desert of Lop, or Gobi, was received without 
hesitation. 

'' But safely across the desert in spite of its goblins and 



CUSTOMS OF BUDDHIST PRIESTS. 



143 



dangers we come to Tangut, which was the Mongol name of the 
Chinese province of Kansuh. Sachiu stands for Shachau, or 
'sand-district,' which was a Chinese outpost on the frontier of 

the ereat desert, but is now of _.. , , •"'.-;:'- '-"'n^... 

Httle consequence. I have al- ' ." ^ ^^■ 
ready mentioned that Marco calls 
the Buddhists idola- 
ters, and not without 
reason, as they have 
the idol of Buddha 
in their temples. 
They have lami- 
saries or convents 
filled with priests, 
and their sacri- 
fices and modes 
of worship are thei 
same to-day as ini 
Polo's time. The 
priests pretend 
that the idol eats 
the food set be- 
fore him, when in 
reality it is de- 
v o u r e d by his 

guardians, who watch their opportunities 
when the worshippers are not in sight. 

" Marco goes too far in saying that all 
the idolaters in the world burn their dead, 
but he can be partially excused for his as- 
sertion when we remember that the world of that time was 
much smaller than it is to-day. 

'' Many of the ceremonies he describes," Fred continued, ''are 
really Chinese, but it was natural for him to attribute them to 
Tangut, as it was here that he first met them. There were many 




A Chinese Funeral. 



144 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

Chinese settlers on the borders of the great desert, and they had 
carried their customs with them. The practice of burning the 
dead has not prevailed in China for several centuries, and was 
probably given up on account of the growing scarcity and dear- 
ness of fuel. But if you read Doolittle's ' Social Life of the 
Chinese,' and other works describing their customs, you will find 
that many of the ceremonies mentioned by Marco have not 
changed in the least. 

'' Coffins are made in the way he tells us, and are kept a long 
time in the house. Paper horses, camels, and money are burned 
at funerals, and Mr. Doolittle says there are more than thirty 
establishments in Foo-Chow devoted to the sale of mock 
money." 

"• The idea is not by any means an original one with the 
Chinese," said Dr. Allen, interrupting the youth for a moment. 
"■ It symbolizes the custom of sacrificing human beings and 
valuable animals which still prevails in some parts of the world, 
especially in the interior of Africa. We read that the. ancient 
Egyptians had human sacrifices at funerals, but one of the kings 
abolished the custom and substituted images of wax or wood. 
In some parts of China they make holes in the walls of the 
houses for carrying out the dead, and sometimes they have a 
special door for that purpose, known as ' The Door of the Dead.' 
These doors were formerly in use in Holland and Central Italy, 
and may be seen to-day in old buildings in those countries." 

"■ The Chinese are not the only superstitious people in the 
world," Frank remarked as the doctor sat down. 

''It is an old saying," responded the doctor, ''that supersti- 
tion is what others believe, and religion is what we believe. 
Many of our customs will appear as odd to the Chinese as theirs 
do to us. The more knowledge we have of the world, the more 
we learn to respect the ways of others. But we will drop the 
discussion and hear wh^ Frank has to read in continuation of 
the story." 

On this suggestion Frank rose and proceeded with the story. 



CAMUL AND CHINGINTALAS. 145 

OF THE PROVINCE OF CAMUL. 

Camul is a province which in former days was a kingdom. It 
contains numerous towns and villages, but the chief city bears the name 
_ of Camul. The province lies between two deserts ; for on the one side 
is the Great Desert of Lop, and on the other side is a small desert of 
three days' journey in extent. The people are all Idolaters, and have a 
peculiar language. They live by the fruits of the earth, which they have 
in plenty, and dispose of to travellers. They are a people who take 
things very easily, for they mind nothing but playing and singing, and 
dancing and enjoying themselves. 

OF THE PROVINCE OF CHINGINTALAS. 

CHINGINTALAS is also a province at the verge of the Desert, and 
lying between north-west and north. It has an extent of sixteen days' 
journey, and belongs to the Great Kaan, and contains numerous towns 
and villages. There are three different races of people in it — Idolaters, 
Saracens, and some Nestorian Christians. At the northern extremity of 
this province there is a mountain in which are excellent veins of steel 
and ondanique. And you must know that in the same mountain there 
is a vein of the substance from which Salamander is made. For the 
real truth is that the Salamander is no beast, as they allege in our 
part of the world, but is a substance found in the earth ; and I will tell 
you about it. 

^ Everybody must be aware that it can be no animal's nature to live in 
fire, seeing that every animal is composed of all the four elements. Now 
I, Marco Polo, had a Turkish acquaintance of the name of Zurficar, and 
he was a very clever fellow. And this Turk related how he had lived 
three years in that region on behalf of the Great Kaan, in order to 
procure those Salamanders for him. He said that the way they got 
them was by digging in that mountain till they found a certain vein. 
The substance of this vein was then taken and crushed, and when so 
treated it divides as it were into fibres of wcfol, which they set forth to 
dry. When dry, these fibres were pounded in a great copper mortar, and 
then washed, so as to remove all the earth, and to leave only the fibres 



146 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

like fibres of wool. These were then spun, and made into napkins. When 
first made, these napkins are not very white, but by putting them into the 
fire for a while they come out as white as snow. And so again whenever 
they become dirty they are bleached by being put in the fire. 

Now this, and nought else, is the truth about the Salamander, and the 
people of the country all say the same. Any other account of the 
matter is fabulous nonsense. And I may add that they have at Rome a 
napkin of this stuff, which the Grand Kaan sent to the Pope to make a 
wrapper for the Holy Sudarium of Jesus Christ. 

OF THE PROVINCE OF SUKCHUR. 

On leaving the province of which I spoke before, you ride ten days 
between north-east and east, and in all that way you find no human 
dwelling, or next to none, so that there is nothing for our book to 
^peak of. 

At the end of those ten days you come to another province called 
SUKCHUR, in which there are numerous towns and villages. The chief 
city is called SUKCHU. The people are partly Christians and partly 
Idolaters, and all are subject to the Great Kaan. 

The great General Province to which all these three provinces belong 
is called Tangut. 

Over all the mountains of this province rhubarb is found in great 
abundance, and thither merchants come to buy it, and carry it thence all 
over the world. Travellers, however, dare not visit those mountains with 
any cattle but those of the country, for a certain plant grows there which 
is so poisonous that cattle which eat it lose their hoofs. The cattle of 
the country know it and eschew it. The people live by agriculture, and 
have not much trade. They are of a brown complexion. The whole of 
the province is healthy. 

OF THE CITY OF CAMPICHU. 

Campichu is also a city of Tangut, and a very great and noble one. 
Indeed it is the capital and place of government of the whole province of 
Tangut. The people are Idolaters, Saracens, and Christians, and the 
latter have three very fine churches in the city, whilst the Idolaters have 



CUSTOMS OF THE IDOLA TERS. 



147 



many minsters and abbeys after their fashion. In these they have an 
enormous number of idols, both small and great, certain of the latter 
being a good ten paces in stature ; some of them being of wood, others 
of clay, and others yet of stone. They are all highly polished, and then 
covered with gold. The great idols of which I speak lie at length. 
And round about them there are other figures of considerable size, as if 
adoring and paying homage before them. 

Now, as I have not yet given you particulars about the customs of 
these Idolaters, I will proceed to tell you about them. 

You must know that there are among them certain religious recluses 
who lead a more virtuous life 
than the rest. They have an 
Ecclesiastical Calendar as we 
have ; and there are five days 
in the month that they observe 
particularly ; and on these five 
days they would on no account 
either slaughter any animal or 
eat flesh meat. On those days, 
moreover, they observe much 
greater abstinence altogether 
than on other days. 

Among these people a man 
may take thirty wives, more or 
less, if he can but afford to do 
so, each having wives in propor- ^°^^^^^" '^^"^P^^ ^^ ^oxih^xu China, 

tion to his wealth and means ; but the first wife is always held in highest 
consideration. The men endow their wives with cattle, slaves, and money, 
according to their ability. And if a man dislikes any one of his wives, 
he just turns her off and takes another. 

Messer Maffeo and Messer Marco Polo dwelt a whole year in this city 

when on a mission. 

OF THE CITY OF ETZINA. 

When you leave the city of Campichu you ride for twelve days, and 

then reach a city called Etzina, which is toward the north on the verge 




148 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



of the Sandy Desert ; it belongs to the Province of Tangut. The people 
are Idolaters, and possess plenty of camels and cattle, and the country 
produces a number of good falcons, both Sakers and Lanners. The in- 
habitants live by their cultivation and their cattle, for they have no 
trade. At this city you must needs lay in victuals for forty days, because 
when you quit Etzina you enter on a desert which extends forty days' 
journey to the north, and on which you meet with no habitation nor 
baiting-place. In the summer-time, indeed, you will fall in with people, 
but in the winter the cold is too great. You also meet with wild beasts 




Grand Lama Monastery. 

(for there are some small pine-woods here and there), and with numbers 
of wild asses. When you have travelled these forty days across the 
Desert you come to a certain province lying to the north. Its name j^ou 
shall hear presently. 

OF THE CITY OF CARACORON. 

Caracoron is a city of some three miles in compass. It is sur- 
rounded by a strong earthen rampart, for stone is scarce there. And 
beside it there is a great citadel wherein is a fine palace in which the 
Governor resides. 'T is the first city that the Tartars possessed after 



PRESTER JOHN AND THE TARTARS. 149 

they issued from their own country. And now I will tell you all about 
how they first acquired dominion and spread over the world. 

Originally the Tartars dwelt in the north on the borders of Chorcha. 
Their country was one of great plains ; and there were no towns or vil- 
lages in it, but excellent pasture-lands, with great rivers and many sheets 
of water ; in fact it was a very fine and extensive region. But there was 
no sovereign in the land. They did, however, pay tax and tribute to 
a great prince who was called in their tongue Unc Can, the same that 
we call Prester John, him in fact about whose great dominion all the 
world talks. The tribute he had of them was one beast out of every 
ten, and also a tithe of all their other gear. 

Now it came to pass that the Tartars multiplied exceedingly. And 
when Prester John saw how great a people they had become, he began 
to fear that he should have trouble from them. So he made a scheme 
to distribute them over sundry countries, and sent one of his Barons to 
carry this out. When the Tartars became aware of this they took it 
much amiss, and with one consent they left their country and went off 
across a desert to a distant region toward the north, where Prester John 
could not get at them to annoy them. Thus they revolted from his 
authority and paid him tribute no longer. And so things continued for 
a time. 

'' I will pause here," said Frank, '' as we are about to hear of 
the customs of the Tartars, and receive an introduction to 
Kublai Khan, which we had better postpone until the next 
meeting. What I have just read will be enough to occupy us 
for the remainder of this evening." 

Fred called attention to the province of Camul, and said the 
brief description was doubtless owing to the fact that Marco is 
not likely to have visited it, but obtained his information from 
his father and uncle, who may have gone there in their previous 
journey. *' It stands," said he, '' on an oasis in the desert, and 
is carefully cultivated by means of water carried through arti- 
ficial canals, and drawn from reservoirs, where it is stored during 
the seasons of rains. It is famous for its rice, grapes, and 



150 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

melons, and Is still a place of considerable importance, as it 
stands at the junction of two great roads leading from China 
into Central Asia. 

** Chingintalas is also supposed to be described from hearsay, 
as its identification has not been settled by the geographers. By 
mines of Salamanders, Marco undoubtedly refers to mines of 
asbestos, a mineral that is found in a good many parts of the 
world." 

'' And does it really possess the properties he described ? " 
said one of the listening youths. 




A Town in an Oasis. 

" We will call on Dr. Allen to tell us," said Fred in reply. 
The doctor, with his usual good nature, proceeded to answer 
the question. 

'* The fable concerning the ability of the Salamander to 
pass through fire without injury is of very ancient origin," said 
he, " and was generally believed until comparatively recent 
times. Occasionally you will now find believers in it, but the 
number is growing more scarce every year. And now a word 
about asbestos. 

'' It is a mineral substance composed chiefly of silica, mag- 



PECULIARITIES OF ASBESTOS, 151 

nesia, lime, and oxide of iron, and is of a fine fibrous character. 
Sometimes the fibres are in a compact mass, and at others they 
are distinct and easily pulled apart. There is one kind called 
rock-cork, which will float in water. The asbestos, with fibres 
that can be easily separated, is called amzmtthtcs, and it is from 
this variety that cloth is made. It can be spun into thread and 
woven in a loom, and such cloth is indestructible in an ordinary 
fire. A towel or napkin of this material can be cleansed by 
throwing it upon the fire, but if the heat is very great, the ma- 
terial may be calcined or converted into lime, so that it v/ill 
crumble when cooled and handled again. The ancients used cloth 
of asbestos for wrapping bodies that were burned on funeral piles, 
in order to preserve the ashes, and asbestos is largely used to-day 
in wrapping steam pipes, and for fire-proof roofing and the filling 
of safes. Gloves for handling hot iron are made of it, but they 
are not in general use. The finest varieties of asbestos are from 
Northern Italy, but the mines are not extensive." 

As the doctor concluded his remarks, Fred continued. 

'' By Sukchu," said he, '' it is beyond a reasonable doubt that 
Marco referred to the modern Suhchau, which is in the north of 
China, and not far from the Great Wall. Rhubarb is carried from 
there to the central parts of the empire, and the sheep are occasion- 
ally poisoned by a plant which grows in the mountains. But there 
is a similar plant all through the mountains of India and Thibet, 
so that it does not designate the locality very clearly. There is 
something like it in the New England States ; lambs are occa- 
sionally poisoned by it, but the older sheep seem to understand 
its peculiarities and avoid it. According to one traveller there is 
a plain in Northern Thibet, which produces nothing but this grass 
which is fatal to cattle and therefore, it is avoided by all horsemen. 

''Campichu stands for Kanchau which was, in Polo's day, the 
chief city of the province of Kansuh or Tangut. The descrip- 
tion of the great idol 'lying at length,' indicates very clearly that 
he was speaking of a recumbent figure of Buddha. We will 
again rely on the doctor to inform us on the subject." 



152 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



" Recumbent figures of Buddha are quite common in Buddhist 
countries," said the doctor, in compHance with the request for in- 
formation, ''and they are supposed to represent Buddha entering 
Nirvana, or the condition of eternal repose. The largest of the 
kind I ever saw was in the ' Temple of the Sleeping Idol ' at 
Bangkok, in Siam. The figure is one hundred and sixty feet 
long and lies on its side ; the soles of the feet are three and a 




Siamese Temple of Buddha. 

half yards long and broad in proportion, and each of them is 
inlaid with mother-of-pearl as delicately as though it were a 
brooch or a finger ring. The figures represented by this Inlaid 
work are entirely fruits and flowers, in accordance with the fable 
that fruits and flowers sprung from the earth wherever Buddha 
planted his footsteps." 

Some one asked what this statue was made of. 

''It was constructed of brick" was the reply, " and then heavily 



A R USSIA N IDEA OF FA S TING. 153 

gilded so that one might easily suppose it to be made of gold. 
This idol is not by any means the only one in the temple. At a 
fair estimate I should say there were a thousand others of various 
sizes, and packed so closely together that there could hardly be 
room for more. 

'' The fasting and other observances described by Marco are 
not greatly changed in the centuries that have passed since his 
travels were made. Fast days are a part of the religion of the 
country and not unlike those observed by the Catholic Church. 
I am reminded of a remark made by a Russian peasant to an 
Englishman travelling through Siberia. He had told the peasant 
that the English people did not observe fast days, whereupon the 
peasant replied : '' You are worse than 
the heathen. The Moslem has his fast 
days and the Buddhist has his ; even 
the wretched Pagan Samoyedes do the 
same way, but you English will eat 
meat every day in the year." 

'' Wild asses are still found in Mon- 
golia," said Fred, continuing his com- 
mentaries, ''and the desert has not 
changed in any material degree since 
Polo traversed it. Etzina and Caraco- Head of Coiossai Buddha. 

ran are not clearly located, though they appear on ancient maps, 
and there are various traditions concerning them. At any rate, 
there are no such cities in existence to-day. 

''Now we come to Prester John, whose name has long figured 
in history, and who was firmly believed in by the whole of Europe 
for three or four centuries. He was first heard of in the eleventh 
century, and was supposed to be an Eastern potentate dwelling 
somewhere in Northern Asia who had been converted to Christi- 
anity in a miraculous way. He was both ruler and priest, and his 
name Prester was supposed to be an abbreviation of Presbyter. 
In the thirteenth century the story made him identical with Ung 
Khan, a Tartar prince, living in Karakorum, who was overthrown 




154 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

and killed by Genghis Khan. Several missions were sent at 
different times to find Prester John, but all were in vain ; the last 
was as late as the fifteenth century, and like the rest it ended in 
disappointment. " 

'' And was there really no such ruler in existence at any time ? " 
asked one of the audience. 

''There is no proof of his existence or of his kingdom," was 
the reply. ''Some writers have thought he might have been 
identical with the Grand Lama or High-Priest of Buddhism, while 



Wild Ass of Mongolia. 

others have conjectured that a Nestorlan priest may somehow 
have obtained possession of a throne In Tartary and transmitted 
the title and name to his successors. It Is entirely certain that 
there Is no one to-day bearing the distinction." 

" Leaving you to meditate upon one of the myths of history," 
said the president, " I declare the meeting adjourned." In a few 
minutes the assemblage had dispersed with eager anticipations 
for the next meeting, when they were to hear something about 
the Tartars and the Great Khan of Tartary. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Genghis Khan — His Career and Conquests — Battle Between Him and Prester John — Customs of 
the Tartars in War and Peace — Their Military Organization — Kumiss and How It Is Made — 
Dried Milk Among the Tartars — " Travellers' Tales." 

''Although there are grave doubts whether Prester John 
ever existed," said Frank at the opening of the next session of 
the Society, ''we will hear what Marco has to say about the wars 
between that ruler and the more famous Genghis Khan. That 
the latter was a real personage there is no question, for he led his 
armies to a career of conquest which did not end until they 
reached Central Europe. Many of the descendants of his people 
are now living in Russia, and it is less than three hundred years 
since the Tartar kingdom of Kazan on the banks of the Volga, 
came to an end." 

With this preliminary remark he opened the volume and 
read as follows : 

OF CHINGHIS, AND HOW HE BECAME THE FIRST KAAN OF THE 

TARTARS. 

Now it came to pass in fhe year iiSy that the Tartars made them a 
King whose name was Chinghis Kaan. He was a man of great worth, 
and of great abihty, eloquence, and valor. And as soon as the news that 
he had been chosen King was spread abroad through those countries, all 
the Tartars in the world came to him and owned him for their Lord. 
And right well did he maintain the Sovereignty they had given him. 
What shall I say ? The Tartars gathered to him in astonishing multi- 
tude, and when he saw such numbers he made a great furniture of spears 
and arrows and such other arms as they used, and set about the conquest 
of all those regions till he had conquered eight provinces. When he con- 
quered a province he did no harm to the people or their property, but 

155 



156 



THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 



merely established some of his own men in the country along with a pro- 
portion of theirs, whilst he led the remainder to the conquest of other 
provinces. And when those whom he had conquered became aware how 
well and safely he protected them against all others, and how they suf- 
fered no ill at his hands, and saw what a noble prince he was, then they 
joined him heart and soul and became his devoted followers. And when he 
had thus gathered such a multitude that they seemed to cover the earth, he 
began to think of conquering a great part of the world. Now in the year 
1 200 he sent an embassy to Prester John, and desired to have his daughter 
to wife. But when Prester John heard that 
Chinghis Kaan demanded his daughter in 
marriage he w^axed very wroth, and said to 
the Envoys : '^ What impudence is this, to 
ask my daughter to wife ! Wist he not well 
that he was my liegeman and serf ? Get 
ye back to him and tell him that I had 
liever set my daughter in the fire than 
give her in marriage to him, and that he 
deserves death at my hand, rebel and trai- 
tor that he is ! " So he bade the Envoys 
begone at once, and never come into his 
presence again. The Envoys, on receiv- 
ing this reply, departed straightway, and made haste to their master, and 
related all that Prester John had ordered them to say, keeping nothing 
back. 

HOW CHINGHIS MUSTERED HIS PEOPLE TO MARCH AGAINST 
PRESTER JOHN. 

When Chinghis Kaan heard the brutal message that Prester John had 
sent him, such rage seized him that his heart came nigh to bursting 
within him, for he was a man of a very lofty spirit. At last he spoke, and 
that so loud that all who were present could hear him : '' Never more 
might he be prince if he took not revenge for the brutal message of 
Prester John, and such revenge that insult never in this world was so 
dearly paid for. And before long Prester John should know whether he 
were his serf or no ! " 




_ 3->:^y 



Tartar Girls. 



A TARTAR BATTLE. 157 

So then he mustered all his forces, and levied such a host as never 
before was seen or heard of, sending word to Prester John to be on his 
defence. And when Prester John had sure tidings that Chinghis was 
really coming against him with such a multitude, he still professed to 
treat it as a jest and a trifle, for, quoth he, " these be no soldiers." 
Natheless he marshalled his forces and mustered his people, and made 
great preparations, in order that if Chinghis did come, he might take 
him and put him to death. In fact he marshalled such an host of many 
different nations that it was a world's wonder. 

And so both sides gat them ready to battle. Chinghis Kaan with all 
his host arrived at a vast and beautiful plain which was called Tanduc, 
belonging to Prester John, and there he pitched his camp ; and so great 
was the multitude of his people that it was impossible to number them. 
And when he got tidings that Prester John was coming, he rejoiced 
greatly, for the place afforded a fine and ample battle-ground, so he was 
right glad to tarry for him there, and greatly longed for his arrival. 

HOW PRESTER JOHN MARCHED TO MEET CHINGHIS. 

Now the story goes that when Prester John became aware that 
Chinghis with his host was marching against him, he went forth to meet 
him with all his forces, and advanced until he reached the same plain of 
Tanduc, and pitched his camp over against that of Chinghis Kaan, at a 
distance of twenty miles. And then both armies remained at rest for 
two days that they might be fresher and heartier for battle. 

So when the two great hosts were pitched on the plains of Tanduc as 
you have heard, Chinghis Kaan one day summoned before him his astrolo- 
gers, both Christians and Saracens, and desired them to let him know 
which of the two hosts would gain the battle, his own or Prester John's. 
The Saracens tried to ascertain, but w^ere unable to give a true answer ; 
the Christians, however, did give a true answer, and showed manifestly 
beforehand how the event should be. For they got a cane and split it 
lengthwise, and laid one half on this side and one half on that, allow- 
ing no one to touch the pieces. And one piece of cane they called 
Chinghis Kaan, and the other piece they called Prester John. And then 
they said to Chinghis : '^ Now mark ! and you will see the event of 



158 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

the battle, and who shall have the best of it ; for whose cane soever shall 
get above the other, to him shall victory be." He replied that he would 
fain see it, and bade them begin. Then the Christian astrologers read a 
Psalm out of the Psalter, and went through other incantations. And lo ! 
whilst all were beholding, the cane that bore the name of Chinghis Kaan, 
without being touched by any body, advanced to the other that bore the 
name of Prester John, and got on the top of it. When the Prince saw 
that, he was greatly delighted, and seeing how in this matter he found 
the Christians to tell the truth, he always treated them with great respect, 
and held them for men of truth forever after. 

THE BATTLE BETWEEN CHINGHIS KAAN AND PRESTER JOHN. 

And after both sides had rested well those two days, they armed for 
the fight and engaged in desperate combat ; and it was the greatest 
battle that ever was seen. The numbers that were slain on both sides 
were very great, but in the end Chinghis Kaan obtained the victory. 
And in the battle Prester John was slain. And from that time forward, 
day by day, his kingdom passed into the hands of Chinghis Kaan till the 
whole was conquered. 

I may tell you that Chinghis Kaan reigned six years after this battle, 
engaged continually in conquest, and taking many a province and city 
and stronghold. But at the end of those six years he went against a 
certain castle that was called Caaju, and there he was shot with an arrow 
in the knee, so that he died of his wound. A great pity it was, for he 
was a valiant man and a wise. 

'' According to the Persian historians," said Fred, " Temujin 
was born in the year 1155, but the Chinese writers make the 
date of his birth 1162. He became sovereign under the name 
of Genghis Khan in 1202 or 1206. The Persians give the 
former date and the Chinese the latter. A few years make no 
practical difference with an event so far away, and there is no 
occasion to discuss the subject further. 

'' His father was chief of a tribe of Tartars, and the son suc- 
ceeded him at the age of fourteen. He immediately made war 



ASTROLOGY AND WAR. 159 

upon neighboring tribes, and from that time to the end of his Hfe, 
in 1227, he was almost constantly engaged in schemes of con- 
quest. His armies overran China, Central Asia, Persia, and 
Russia, and it is estimated that in the course of his wars he must 
have caused the deaths of five or six millions of people. Con- 
trary to what Polo asserts, his conquests were marked by the 
most terrible cruelty even for those times, but he seems to have 
possessed a liberal spirit in spite of his barbarity. He made a 
code of laws which is still known by his name among the Mon- 
gols, tolerated all religions, exempted priests and physicians of 
all kinds from taxation, and established such a thorough system 
of police that a man could travel in safety from one end to the 
other of his dominions. At his death his empire was divided 
among his four sons, who continued his conquests and carried 
their banners to the banks of the Oder and the Danube. 

"■ If you wish to know more of this great conqueror," Fred 
continued, '' you can find it in the histories ; I could give you 
more, but don't wish to run the risk of being tedious." 

'' Do you suppose it is true," one of the youths inquired, 
'* that he consulted his astrologers to decide how his battle with 
Prester John was likely to end ? " 

*' It is quite probable," was the reply, '' as it was the custom 
of the times to consult the oracles before undertaking any thing 
of the sort. Divination by rods is a very ancient practice ; it 
has come down to our day, and consequently the story is not im- 
probable. It is not unusual to hear of a man tossing a penny in 
the air to decide a troublesome question, and all over China at 
the present time the people go to the temples and practise divina- 
tion by means of sticks, which they throw in front of the altars 
and observe how they fall. Fortune-tellers are common in the 
streets of Chinese cities, and drive a profitable business ; fortune- 
telling is not unknown in the most enlightened countries of the 
world, and there is no ground for doubting that it was in fashion 
in the country and times of Genghis Khan. 

'' It is probable," said Fred with a smile, '' that the astrologers 



i6o 



THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 



who prophesied the result of the battle between Genghis Khan 
and Prester John had a regard for the safety of their own heads. 
If they had predicted defeat Instead of victory, it is quite likely 
their lives would have paid the forfeit. They understood how to 

be on the popular side, 
and governed the move- 
ments of the sticks 
accordingly. 

'' The locality of the 
great battle Is not well 
established, but the pre- 
vailing belief of writers 
who have studied the 
subjects puts it near the 
modern city of Urga In 
Mongolia. That there 
was a Tartar ruler 
named Ung Khan is 
pretty well established, 
but we are not so sure 
that he was the Prester 
John whose history is 
considered mythical. 
Let us hear what Frank 
has to read us in the 
next chapters." 




A Chinese Fortune-Teller. 



OF THOSE WHO DID REIGN AFTER CHINGHIS KAAN, AND OF THE 
CUSTOMS OF THE TARTARS. 

Now, the next that reigned after Chinghis Kaan, their first Lord, was 
CUY Kaan, and the third Prince was Batuy Kaan, and the fourth was 
Alacou Kaan, the fifth Mongou Kaan, the sixth Cublay Kaan, who 
is the sovereign now reigning, and is more potent than any of the five 
who went before him ; in fact, if you were to take all those five together, 
they would not be so powerful as he is. Nay, I will say yet more ; for if 



BARBARIC PRACTICES. i6i 

you were to put together all the Christians in the world, with their 
Emperors and their Kings, the whole of these Christians — aye, and throw 
in the Saracens to boot — would not have such power, or be able to do so 
much as this Cublay, who is the Lord of all the Tartars in the world, 
those of the Levant and of the Ponent included ; for these are all his 
liegemen and subjects. I mean to show you all about this great power 
of his in this book of ours. 

You should be told also that all the Grand Kaans, and all the 
descendants of Chinghis their first Lord, are carried to a mountain that 
is called Altay to be interred. Wheresoever the Sovereign may die, he 
is carried to his burial in that mountain with his predecessors ; no matter, 
an the place of his death were lOO days' journey distant, thither must he 
be carried to his burial. 

Let me tell you a strange thing too. When they are carrying the 
body of any Emperor to be buried with the others, the convoy that goes 
with the body doth put to the sword all whom they fall in with on the 
road, saying : " Go and wait upon your Lord in the other world ! " For 
they do in sooth beheve that all such as they slay in this manner do go 
to serve their Lord in the other world. They do the same too with 
horses ; for when the Emperor dies, they kill all his best horses, in order 
that he may have the use of them in the other world, as they believe. 
And I tell you as a certain truth, that when Mongou Kaan died, more 
than 20,000 persons, who chanced to meet the body on its way, were 
slain in the manner I have told. 

CONCERNING THE CUSTOMS OF THE TARTARS. 

Now that we have begun to speak of the Tartars, I have plenty to 
tell you on that subject. The Tartar custom is to spend the winter in 
warm plains, where they find good pasture for their cattle, whilst in 
summer they betake themselves to a cool climate among the mountains 
and valleys, where water is to be found as well as woods and pastures. 

Their houses are circular, and are made of wands covered with felts. 
These are carried along with them whithersoever they go ; for the wands 
are so strongly bound together, and likewise so well combined, that the 
frame can be made very light. Whenever they erect these huts the door 



1 62 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 




Framework of an Asiatic Tent. 



is always to the south. They also have wagons covered with black felt 
so efificaciously that no rain can get in. These are drawm by oxen and 
camels, and the women and children travel in them. The women do the 

buying and selling, and whatever is nec- 
essary to provide for the husband and 
household ; for the men all lead the 
life of gentlemen, troubling themselves 
about nothing but hunting and hawk- 
ing, and looking after their goshawks 
and falcons, unless it be the practice of 
warlike exercises. 

They live on the milk and meat 
which their herds supply, and on the 
produce of the chase ; and they eat all kinds of flesh, including that of 
horses and dogs, and Pharaoh's rats, of w^hich last there are great 
numbers in burrows on those plains. Their drink is mare's milk. 

The marriage customs of Tartars are as follows. Any man may take 
a hundred wives an he so please, and if he be able to keep them. But 
the first wife is ever held most in honor, and the same applies to her sons. 
The husband gives a marriage payment to his wife's mother, and the wife 
brings nothing to her husband. Their weddings are celebrated with 

great ado. 

CONCERNING THE GOD OF THE TARTARS. 

This is the fashion of their religion. They say there is a Most High 
God of Heaven, whom 
they worship daily with 
thurible and incense, 
but they pray to Him 
only for health of mind 
and body. But they 
have also a certain other 
god of theirs called Na- 
TIGAY, and they say he ~ ■^-~ 

is the god of the Earth, 
who watches over their children 




The Tent Completed. 

cattle, and crops. 



They show 



HOIV THE TARTARS MAKE WAR, 



163 



him great worship and honor, and every man hath a figure of him 
in his house, made of felt and cloth ; and they also make in the same 
manner images of his wife and children. The wife they put on the left 
hand, and the children in front. And when they eat, they take the fat of 
the meat and grease the god's mouth withal, as well as the mouths of his 
wife and children. Then they take of the broth and sprinkle it before 
the door of the house ; and that done, they deem that their god and his 
family have had their share of the dinner. 

Their drink is mare's milk, prepared in such a way that you would take 
it for white wine ; and a right good drink it is, called by them Kemiz. 

The clothes of the wealthy Tartars are for the most part of gold and 
silk stuffs, lined with costly furs, such as sable and ermine, vair and fox- 
skin, in the richest fashion. 

CONCERNING THE TARTAR CUSTOMS OF WAR. 




All their harness of war is excellent and costly. Their arms are bows 
and arrows, sword and 
mace ; but above all the 
bow, for they are capital 
archers, indeed the best 
that are known. On 
their backs they wear ar- 
mor of cuirbouly, pre- 
pared from buffalo and 
other hides, which is very 

strong. They are ex- Interior of a Tent. 

cellent soldiers, and passing valiant in battle. They are also more 
capable of hardships than other nations ; for many a time, if need 
be, they will go for a month without any supply of food, living 
only on the milk of their mares and on such game as their bows may win 
them. Their horses also will subsist entirely on the grass of the plains, 
so that there is no tieed to carry store of barley or straw or oats ; and 
they are very docile to their riders. These, in case of need, will abide 
on horseback the livelong night, armed at all points, while the horse will 
be continually grazing. 



164 



THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO, 



Of all troops in the world these are they which endure the greatest 
hardship and fatigue, and which cost the least ; and they are the best of 
all for making wide conquests of country. And this you will perceive 
from what you have heard and shall liear in this book ; and (as a fact) 
there can be no manner of doubt that now they are the masters of the 
biggest half of the world. Their troops are admirably ordered in the 
manner that I shall now relate. 

You see, when a Tartar prince goes forth to war, he takes with him, 
say, 100,000 horse. Well, he appoints an of^cer to every ten men, one to 




Khivan Tartars Returning fron> :l P-^id. Receiving Payment for Heads of Victims. 

every hundred, one to evdry thousand, and one to every ten thousand, so 
that his own orders have to be given to ten persons only, and each of 
these ten persons has to pass the orders only to other ten, and so on ; no 
one having to give orders to more than ten. And every one in turn is 
responsible only to the of^cer immediately over him ; and the discipline 
and order that comes of this method is marvellous, for they are a people 
very obedient to their chiefs. Further, they call the corps of 100,000 
men a Tuc ; that of 10,000 they call a Toman; the thousand they call 



ORIENTAL BATTLES. 165 

Miny ; the hundred Guz ; the ten O71. And when the army is on the 
march they have always 200 horsemen, very well mounted, who are sent 
a distance of two marches in advance to reconnoitre, and these always 
keep a-head. They have a similar party detached in the rear, and on 
either flank, so that there is a good look-out kept on all sides against a 
surprise. When they are going on a distant expedition they take no gear 
with them except two leather bottles for milk, a little earthenware pot 
to cook their meat in, and a little tent to shelter them from rain. And in 
case of great urgency they will ride ten days without lighting a fire or 
taking a meal. On such an occasion they will sustain themselves on the 
blood of their horses, opening a vein and letting the blood jet into their 
mouths, drinking till they have had enough, and then staunching it. 

They also have milk dried into a kind of paste to carry with them ; 
and when they need food they put this in water, and beat it up till it dis- 
solves, and then drink it. It is prepared in this way : they boil the milk, 
and when the rich part floats on the top they skim it into another vessel, 
and of that they make butter ; for the milk will not become solid till this 
is removed. Then they put the milk in the sun to dry. And when they 
go on an expedition, every man takes some ten pounds of this dried milk 
with him. And of a morning he will take a half pound of it and put it in 
his leather bottle, with as much water as he pleases. So, as he rides 
along, the milk-paste and the water in the bottle get well churned to- 
gether into a kind of pap, and that makes his dinner. 

When they come to an engagement with the enemy, they will gain 
the victory in this fashion. They never let themselves get into a regular 
medley, but keep perpetually riding round and shooting into the enemy. 
And as they do not count it any shame to run away in battle, they will 
sometimes pretend to do so, and in running away they turn in the saddle 
and shoot hard and strong at the foe, and in this way make great havoc. 
Their horses are trained so perfectly that they will double hither and 
thither, just like a dog, in a way that is quite astonishing. Thus they 
fight to as good purpose in running away as if they stood and faced the 
enemy, because of the vast volleys of arrows that they shoot in this way, 
turning round upon their pursuers, who are fancying that they have won 
the battle. But when the Tartars see that they have killed and wounded 



i66 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

a good many horses and men, they wheel round bodily, and return to the 
charge in perfect order and with loud cries ; and in a very short time the 
enemy are routed. In truth they are stout and valiant soldiers, and in- 
ured to war. And you perceive that it is just when the enemy sees them 
run, and imagines that he has gained the battle, that he has in reality lost 
it ; for the Tartars wheel round in a moment when they judge the right 
time has come. And after this fashion they have won many a fight. 

All this that I have been telling you is true of the manners and cus- 
toms of the genuine Tartars. But I must add also that in these days 
they are greatly degenerated ; for those who are settled in Cathay have 
taken up the practices of the Idolaters of the country, and have aban- 
doned their own institutions ; whilst those who have settled in the Levant 
have adopted the customs of the Saracens. 

" Marco Is not correct in his history of the successors of 
Genghis Khan," said Fred, as soon as Frank sat down. '' He 
omits Okkodai, v^ho was the immediate successor of Genghis, 
and names at least two who had no prominence at all. But 
Kublai was the fifth in regular order, and as we are not much 
interested in the rest of the family, we will excuse our traveller. 

''The burial-place of Genghis has not been identified, but 
is supposed to have been on a mountain near Urga in Mongolia. 
The barbarities related of the funeral ceremonies of the Tartar 
emperors are denied by several writers, and for the sake of 
humanity let us hope the stories are not true." 

" Unfortunately they seem to be fairly well founded," said 
the doctor, by way of explanation; ''and in some of the Tartar 
tribes it is still the custom to slaughter horses, sheep, and other 
domestic animals at the funeral of their late owner. Human 
sacrifices at funerals are still the fashion with many African 
rulers, but through the influences of missionaries and others the 
custom is diminishing. Stanley, the African explorer, persuaded 
the king of Uganda to abolish human sacrifices, and other 
travellers have accomplished the same results in the kingdoms 
of Ashantee and Dahomey ; but I am afraid the followers of 



TENTS OF THE NOMADS. 



167 



Genghis Khan were controlled by the example he had set during 
his lifetime, and above all by whatever superstition may have 
belonged to his period." 

*' But let us come to something more agreeable," said Fred, 
when the doctor had finished. ** The Tartar custom of spending 
the winter on the plains, and the summer in the mountains, is 
the same now as of yore. I have already told you of the moving 
of the flocks and herds in search of pasture. Of course such a 




A Tartar Prince Entering a City. 

wandering people cannot have permanent houses, but must dwell 
in tents. These tents are in use in all parts of Central Asia, and 
as far as the extreme north of China. Dr. Allen will tell you he 
has seen them in Siberia, and that the people of Tartar descent 
often prefer them to houses of wood or stone as permanent 
habitations. 

'' The Tartar tent is made as Polo describes, with a light 
framework covered with felt. The size of the tent depends upon 
the wealth of the owner, and the extent of his family. Trav- 



1 68 



THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO, 



ellers have described tents forty or fifty feet in diameter, but 
they are g"enerally not more than fifteen or twenty. It is 
usually the custom to arrange the tents with the doors to the 
south, but in the regions bordering the Altai Mountains, where 
the prevailing winds are from the west, the door faces the east. 
In the Middle Ages the Tartars had large tents or pavilions 
mounted on wheels, as described by Polo, but they do not appear 
to be in use at present. One writer tells of a tent of this sort 




Mediaeval Tartar Huts and Wagons. 

where the wheels of the wagon were twenty feet apart, and the 
vehicle was drawn by twenty-two oxen, eleven abreast. The 
only carts in Tartar countries at present are mounted on two 
wheels, and drawn by a single ox, horse, or camel, generally the 
last. Sometimes tvs^o animals may be harnessed tandem, but it 
is not usually the case. 

" They eat the same kind of food now as in former times, and 
it is fair to say that in this respect they have not changed at all." 



HORSEFLESH AS FOOD. 



.69 



'' But do they really eat horses and dogs?" inquired one of 
the audience. 

''Yes," answered Fred, ''but they are not over fond of the 
latter, and only eat them when other food cannot be obtained. 
As for horseflesh they have not the slightest prejudice against it, 
any more than we have against beef or mutton. It is sold by 
their butchers, and at a grand festival it is sure to be one of the 
chief articles of diet. Dr. Allen can tell you an interesting story 
illustrating this peculiarity." 




A Mongol Camp. (From a Native Drawing ) 

" When I was travelling through Siberia," said the doctor, in 
compliance with Fred's suggestion, "I overtook and passed a 
great many caravans laden with tea. They were made up of 
sleds, each drawn by one horse ; there was a driver to every four 
or five sleds, and the drivers were mostly Siberian Tartars. 
When my sleigh came up they were obliged to give me the road, 
according to the rules of the country, and there was great hurry- 
ing to turn out. Once in turning out where the road was bad 
one of their horses broke his leg ; the whole caravan halted, and 
I stopped to see what could be done about the matter. I gave 



I/O 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



the driver sufficient money to compensate him for his loss ; in a 
very short time they distributed the load among half a dozen sleds, 
and attached the empty sled to another. Then they slaughtered 
the horse, cut up the flesh, and divided it among them. They 
seemed to congratulate themselves on the accident, as I had paid 
for the animal and provided them with the material for a feast." 
'* And now please tell us about Pharaoh's rats which the 
Tartars are said to eat," was the next request of the youth who 
had asked about the horses and dogs. 



"'--^'"' "" ■,.•-' -.t.x .i'li 


■J- 












P 



Mongol Cart Drawn by Two Horses. (From a Native Sketch.) 

*' Pharaoh's rat was probably the gerboa, or jerboa, which you 
will find described in works on natural history. He is noted for 
the great length of the hind legs and the extreme shortness of 
the fore legs ; the animal inhabits grassy plains and will live 
where the herbage is very scant, and he is found all over Central 
Asia, and in parts of Europe, Africa, and Australia. Gerboas 
burrow in the ground and are very destructive to crops of grain. 
The Arabs and many other people consider their flesh a great 
delicacy, and it is said to resemble that of the rabbit." 



TARTAR MARRIAGE CUSTOMS. 



171 



**The Tartars are said to have changed somewhat in their 
marriage customs," said Fred, ''as they do not have the number 
of wives mentioned by Marco. Polygamy is not prohibited any 
more than in former days, but they have gradually reduced the 
size of their households, so that it is rare to find a Tartar with 
more than three or four wives. The old custom prevails of treat- 
ing the first wife as the superior of the others. The marriage 
ceremonies vary in the different parts of the country. Among 




Tartar Horse Race — Pursuit of a Bride. 

some of the tribes it is the custom for the lover to pursue the 
bride on horseback; he is generally accompanied by several of 
his friends, who pretend to join in the race, though they are care- 
ful to keep a little behind him. She may ride away from him if 
she chooses, but as all the preliminaries have been arranged 
beforehand she is not likely to do so. Sometimes she carries the 
body of a lamb, which the bridegroom is expected to take from 
her during the chase." 



172 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



'' Kemiz or Kumiss is as famous a drink among the Tartars 
to-day as in the time of our great traveller," continued Fred. 
*' The milk is fermented, and in this condition will keep a long 
time ; it is usually kept in large bottles or bags made of horse- 
skin ; that which is for daily use is in a sort of churn, which is 
frequently stirred by the members of the family. It has a high 
reputation for its medicinal qualities, and in the last few years it 
has been introduced into Europe and America. Many persons 
are said to have been cured of consumption by drinking kumiss. 
The tribes who use it are remarkably free from pulmonary dis- 
ease, and it is said there is an establishment in the province of 
Orenburg where patients are treated with this diet. 

''As to the Tartar mode of war- 
fare, we may conclude that the de- 
scription was accurate for the time it 
was made. But at the present day 
the Tartars are comparatively peace- 
ful and occupied with their flocks and 
herds, though a good many of the 
tribes do not object to making raids 
upon their neighbors for purposes of 
plunder. They are fine horsem.en, 
can travel long distances with very 
little food, and easily endure an 
amount of fatigue that would kill a 
soldier of any army of Europe. The story of their opening the 
veins of their horses and drinking the blood may be set down 
as fiction ; it deserves a place by the side of the anecdote of the 
traveller who cut ofif his dog's tail to make a soup for himself, 
and gave the dog the bone." 

There was a laugh all around at this quaint comparison, and 
as soon as it had ceased Fred proceeded. 

'' The dried milk or curd described by Marco is still in use in 
Tartar countries, and is an important article of food among the 
people of Badakshan and Afghanistan. It is not many years 




Tartar Idols and Kumiss Churn. 



A MILITARY SYSTEM OF DECIMALS. 



173 



since an American obtained a patent for a process of condensing 
milk, which was hailed as a new invention ; if he had read the 
travels of Marco Polo, he would have found that the Tartars 
knew how to condense milk long before America was discovered. 
'' The organization of their armies and their modes of war- 
fare were not unlike those of Oriental nations to-day. The 
Chinese and Japanese 
have long organized 
their forces upon the 
decimal system, and 
only changed it since 
they introduced Euro- 
pean tactics. It was 
adopted by Genghis 
Khan, but was not 
original with him, as it : 
appears in history cen- 

T /• -I . 1 Group of Kirghiz with Kumiss Bottle and Bowl. 

tunes beiore his day. 

It may still be found in Central Asia and Turkey, as well as in 

the farther East. 

'' But I am now at the end of my notes," said Fred, " and 
must ask the favor of an adjournment." 

The adjournment was voted unanimously, together with the 
thanks of the Society for the interesting explanations which 
Fred had made concerning the customs of the Tartars as de- 
scribed in the ancient narrative. 




CHAPTER IX. 



Tartar Customs — Administering Justice — Dead Persons Married to Each Other — The Country- 
North of Tartary — Beasts and Birds — Summer Palaces of the Emperors — Uses of the Bamboo 
— Wonderful Tricks of Conjurors — Comparison Between Tartar and Indian Jugglers — A 
Chinese Knife-Thrower — Mongol Lamis^ies. 

" According to an Irish song," Frank remarked, as he rose 
to his feet on the next evening, '' there is luck in odd numbers. 
We are about to see how the Tartars were in the habit of 
regarding odd numbers in their modes of inflicting punishment." 

With this suggestion of what was before them, he resumed 
the narrative. 

CONCERNING THE ADMINISTERING OF JUSTICE AMONG THE TARTARS. 

The way they administer justice is this. When any one has com- 
mitted a petty theft, they give him, under the orders of authority, seven 

blows of a stick, or seventeen, or twenty- 
seven, or thirty-seven, or forty-seven, 
and so forth, always increasing by tens 
in proportion to the injury done, and 
running up to one hundred and seven. 
Of these beatings sometimes they die. 
But if the offence be horse-stealing, or 
some other great matter, they cut the 
thief in two with a sword. Howbeit, 
..■..■■:^pf^^B^^-■' if he be able to ransom himself by 

Tartar Soldier of Western China. paying nine times the value of the thing 

stolen, he is let off. Every Lord or other person who possesses beasts 
has them marked with his peculiar brand, be they horses, mares, camels, 
oxen, cows, or other great cattle, and then they are sent abroad to graze 
over the plains without any keeper. They get all mixt together, but 

174 




DEAD PERSONS MARRIED TO EACH OTHER. 175 



eventually every beast is recovered by means of its owner's brand, which 
is known. For their sheep and goats they have shepherds. All their 
cattle are remarkably fine, big, and in good condition. 

They have another notable custom, which is this. If any man have 
a daughter who dies before 
marriage, and another man 
have had a son also die before 
marriage, the parents of the,^ ,|||^ 
two arrange a grand wedding 
between the dead lad and 
lass. And marry 
them they do, mak- 
ing a regular con- 
tract ! And when the 
contract papers are 
made out they put 
them in the fire, in 
order (as they will 
have it) that the par- 
ties in the other world 
may know the fact, 
and so look on each 
other as man and 
wife. And the parents 
thenceforward consider ' 
themselves sib to each ?; 
other, just as if their child- 
ren had lived and married. 

Whatever may be agreed ^ Chinese Marriage Procession. 

upon between the parties as dowry, those who have to pay it cause to be 
painted on pieces of paper, and then put these in the fire, saying that in 
that way the dead person will get all the real articles In the other world. 

SUNDRY PARTICULARS OF THE PLAIN BEYOND CARACORON. 
And when you leave Caracoron and the Altay, in which they bury the 
bodies of the Tartar Sovereigns, as I told you, you go north for forty days 




176 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



till you reach a country called the PLAIN OF Bargu. The people there 
are called Mescript ; they are a very wild race, and live by their cattle, 
the most of which are stags, and these stags, I assure you, they use to 
ride upon. Their customs are like those of the Tartars, and they are 
subject to the Great Kaan. They have neither corn nor wine. They 
get birds for food, for the country is full of lakes and pools and marshes, 
which are much frequented by the birds when they are moulting, and 
when they have quite cast their feathers and can't fly, those people catch 
them. They also live partly on fish. 




In the Country of Bargu. 

And when you have travelled forty days over this great plain you 
come to the ocean, at the place where the mountains are in which the 
Peregrine falcons have their nests. And in those mountains it is so cold 
that you find neither man nor woman, nor beast nor bird, except one 
kind of bird called Barguerlac, on which the falcons feed. They are as 
big as partridges, and have feet like those of parrots and a tail like a 
swallow's, and are very strong in flight. And when the Grand Kaan 
wants Peregrines from the nest he sends thither to procure them. It is 
also on islands in that sea that the Gerfalcons are bred. You must know 
that the place is so far to the north that you leave the North Star some- 



WFLD CA TTLE OF ASIA. 177 

what behind you toward the south ! The gerfalcons are so abundant 
there that the Emperor can have as many as he likes to send for. And 
you must not suppose that those gerfalcons which the Christians carry 
into the Tartar dominions go to the Great Kaan ; they are carried only to 
the Prince of the Levant. 

Now I have told you all about the provinces northward as far as the 
Ocean Sea, beyond which there is no more land at all ; so I shall proceed 
to tell you of the other provinces on the way to the Great Kaan. Let us 
then return to that province of w^hich I spoke before, called Campichu. 

OF THE KINGDOM OF ERGUIUL AND PROVINCE OF SINJU. 

On leaving Campichu, then, you travel five days across a tract in 
which many spirits are heard speaking in the night season ; and at the 
end of those five marches, toward the east, you come to a kingdom called 
Erguiul, belonging to the Great Kaan. It is one of the several king- 
doms which make up the great Province of Tangut. The people consist 
of Nestorian Christians, Idolaters, and worshippers of Mahommet. 

There are plenty of cities in this kingdom, but the capital is Erguiul. 
You can travel in a south-easterly direction from this place into the 
province of Cathay. Should you follow that road to the south-east, you 
come to a city called SiNju, belonging also to Tangut, and subject to the 
Great Kaan, which has under it many towns and villages. The popula- 
tion is composed of Idolaters, and worshippers of Mahommet, but there 
are some Christians also. There are wild cattle in that country almost 
as big as elephants, splendid creatures, covered everywhere but on the 
back with shaggy hair a good four palms long. They are partly black, 
partly white, and really wonderfully fine creatures, and the hair or wool is 
extremely fine and white, finer and whiter than silk. Messer Marco 
brought some to Venice as a great curiosity, and so it was reckoned by 
those who saw it. There are also plenty of them tame, Avhich have been 
caught young. These the people use commonly for burden and general 
work, and in the plough as well ; and at the latter they will do full twice 
as much work as any other cattle, being such very strong beasts. 

In this country, too, is found the best musk in the world ; and I will 
tell you how 't is produced. There exists in that region a kind of wild 



1/8 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

animal like a gazelle. It has feet and tail like the gazelle's, and stag's 
hair of a very coarse kind, but no horns. It has four tusks, two below, 
and two above, about three inches long, and slender in form, one pair 
growing upward, and the other downward. It is a very pretty creature. 
The musk is found in this way. When the creature has been taken, they 
find between the flesh and the skin something like an impostume full of 
blood, which they cut out and remove with all the skin attached to it. 
And the blood inside this impostume is the musk that produces that 
powerful perfume. There is an immense number of these beasts in the 
country we are speaking of. The flesh is very good to eat. Messer 
Marco brought the dried head and feet of one of these animals to Venice 
with him. 

The people are traders and artizans, and also grow abundance of corn. 
The province has an extent of twenty-six days' journey. Pheasants are 
found there twice as big as ours, indeed nearly as big as a peacock, and 
having tails of seven to ten palms in length ; and besides them other 
pheasants in aspect like our own, and birds of many other kinds, and of 
beautiful variegated plumage. The people, who are Idolaters, are fat 
folks with little noses and black hair, and no beard, except a few hairs 
on the upper lip. The women too have very smooth and white skins, 
and in every respect are pretty creatures. The men marry many wives, 
which is not forbidden by their religion. 

OF THE KINGDOM OF EGRIGAIA. 

Starting again from Erguiul you ride eastward for eight days, and 
then come to a province called Egrigaia, containing numerous cities and 
villages, and belonging to Tangut. The capital city is called Calachan. 
The people are chiefly Idolaters, but there are fine churches belonging to 
the Nestorian Christians. They are all subjects of the Great Kaan. 
They make in this city great quantities of camlets of camel's wool, the 
finest in the world ; and some of the camlets that they make are white, 
for they have white camels, and these are the best of all. Merchants pur- 
chase these stuffs here, and carry them over the world for sale. 

We shall now proceed eastward from this place and enter the terri- 
tory that was formerly Prester John's. 



GOG AND MAGOG. lyg 

CONCERNING THE PROVINCE OF TENDUC, AND THE DESCENDANTS OF 

PRESTER JOHN. 

Tenduc is a province which lies towards the east, and contains numer- 
ous towns and villages ; among which is the chief city, also called TeN- 
DUC. The king of the province is of the lineage of Prester John, 
George by name, and he holds the land under the Great Kaan ; not that 
he holds any thing like the whole of what Prester John possessed. It is 
a custom, I may tell you, that these kings of the lineage of Prester John 
always obtain to wife either daughters of the Great Kaan or other prin- 
cesses of his family. 

In this province is found the stone from which Azure is made. It is 
obtained from a kind of vein in the earth, and is of very fine quality. 
There is also a great manufacture of fine camlets of different colors from 
camel's hair. The people get their living by their cattle and tillage, as 
well as by trade and handicraft. 

The rule of the province is in the hands of the Christians as I have 
told you ; but there are also plenty of Idolaters and worshippers of Ma- 
hommet. And there is also here a class of people called Argons, which 
is as much as to say in French Guasmul, or, in other words, sprung from 
two different races : to wit, of the race of the Idolaters of Tenduc and 
of that of the worshippers of Mahommet. They are handsomer men 
than the other natives of the country, and having more ability they come 
to have authority ; and they are also capital merchants. 

You must know that it was in this same capital city of Tenduc that 
Prester John had the seat of his government when he ruled over the Tar- 
tars, and his heirs still abide there ; for, as I have told you, this King 
George is of his line ; in fact, he is the sixth in descent from Prester 
John. 

Here also is what we call the country of GOG and Magog ; they, how- 
ever, call it Ung and MUNGUL, after the names of two races of people 
that existed in that Province before the migration of the Tartars. Ung 
was the title of the people of the country, and Mungul a name some- 
times applied to the Tartars. 

And when you have ridden seven days eastward through this province 
you get near the provinces of Cathay. You find throughout those 



i8o THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

seven days' journey plenty of towns and villages, the inhabitants of 
which are Mahommetans, but with a mixture also of Idolaters and 
Nestorian Christians. They get their living by trade and manufactures ; 
weaving those fine cloths of gold which are called Nasich and Naqites, 
besides silk stuffs of many other kinds. For just as we have cloths of 
wool in our country, manufactured in a great variety of kinds, so in those 
regions they have stuffs of silk and gold in like variety. 

All this region is subject to the great Kaan. There is a city you 
come to called SiNDACHU, where they carry on a great many crafts such 
as provide for the equipment of the Emperor's troops. In a mountain 
of the province there is a very good silver mine, from, which much silver 
is got : the place is called Ydifu. The country is well stocked with 
game, both beast and bird. 

'' Punishment with the stick," said Fred, commenting on the 
Tartar mode of administering justice, ''is still in fashion in China 
and other parts of the East. The judge decides how many 
blows are to be given and the sentence is immediately carried 
out. Sometimes the punishment may be reduced by payment 
of a fine, and if the offender is supposed to have money he -is 
more likely to receive a heavy sentence than if penniless. The 
Chinese judges receive very small salaries, and are expected to 
get the principal part of their compensation through collections 
made from culprits." 

But how about the odd numbers ? " some one inquired. 

" The Chinese are great believers in odd numbers," was the 
reply, '' but whether the belief went from them to the Tartars or 
vice versa I am unable to say. If you count the stories of a 
Chinese pagoda you will find they are always odd, three, five, 
seven, nine, or eleven. On a Chinese jacket you generally see 
five buttons, and I have been told that if a man loses a button 
and cannot replace it at once he tears off another so as to avoid 
wearing an even number. But the Chinese are not singular 
in their respect for odd numbers, as it prevails, though to a 
lesser degree, in other parts of the world. If we make a 



SINGULAR MARRIAGE CUSTOMS, 



i8i 



careful canvass among our own people we should probably be 
surprised at the proportion who believe in the adage which 
Frank has quoted from * Rory O'More.' 

" Compare the customs of the Tartars in branding their 
cattle, and see how exactly it describes the way of the herds- 
men of our Western States and Territories. Word for word the 
story is the same, excepting that our annual ' round-up,' or 
assemblage of the herds for each owner to select his property, 
is not mentioned. 

'' The singular custom mentioned by Marco, of a wedding 
between persons who have died, 
prevails to-day in some parts of 
China, and in the way he de- 
scribes." 

*' What is the reason for it ? " 
one of the young ladies inquired. 

^' The Chinese would probably 
answer you that it was an old cus- 
tom," said Dr. Allen, rising to assist 
Frank in clearing up the mystery. 
'* Every thing in China that a na- 
tive cannot clearly explain is dis- 
posed of in this way ; the answer 
corresponds to our way of saying, 
'because it 's the fashion.' A prac- 
tical advantage is that it puts the 
two families on the footing of rela- 
tives, and enables the parents of the bride to erect a memorial 
tablet in her honor, which custom does not permit for a woman 
who remains single. It is not unusual for the marriage cere- 
mony to be performed for a girl who has died during her 
betrothal ; the husband receives a paper effigy of his bride, 
and after he has burned it he erects a tablet to her memory. 
The custom is not universal throughout China, and in some 
of the provinces is altogether unknown." 




A Chinese Lady. 



i82 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO, 

As the doctor sat down Fred continued his commentary. Re- 
ferring to what had just been read he said : '' Marco was describ- 
ing countries he had not personally visited. Bargu probably 
referred to the country north of the desert of Gobi, as the name 
is preserved in the river Barguzin which flows into Lake Baikal 
in Siberia. There is a Tartar tribe called the Merkit living 
in the region to the southeast of Lake Baikal ; from there to the 
Arctic Ocean the country abounds in birds, especially in summer, 
when millions of ducks, geese, and swans fly northward for their 
moulting and breeding season. It is quite true that they are 
knocked over by means of sticks when they are destitute of 
feathers and unable to fly." 

''Does n't Marco refer to reindeer when he speaks of the 
people riding on stags ? " one of the audience asked. 

Yes," responded Fred, '' but it is doubtful if he ever had any 
other than hearsay testimony concerning the practice. Yet 

he was quite right, as 
the Tunguse, Chuck- 
chees, and Samoyedes, 
on the shores of the 
Arctic Ocean use their 
reindeer for riding pur- 

'$i2.nd.-Qxovi%& {Syrrhaptes Pallasit). OOSeS while the LaO- 

landers employ them only for driving. The reindeer is not an 
agreeable anirhal to ride, as the saddle is placed directly over 
his shoulders and the rider receives every jolt of the beast. The 
saddle is without stirrups, and it requires one to have the skill of 
an acrobat to maintain his place. The novice in riding a rein- 
deer usually falls off from twenty to a hundred times in the first 
mile of his journey." 

Another of the auditors asked Fred to describe the barguerlac 
mentioned by Polo. 

''Dr. Alien is better informed than I am on that subject," 
replied the youth, "and I will ask him to explain." 

"The barguerlac!' said the doctor, "is supposed to be the 




A REMARKABLE BIRD, 



183 



sand-grouse, which is identical with the Turkish boghurtlak. 
Ornithologists say it is the Syrrhaptes Pallasii of their diction- 
aries, and its home is in the regions around Lake Baikal, the 
Altai Mountains, and the Kirghiz 
Steppes. It will fly enormous dis- 
tances, is in great numbers, and 
forms a delicious article of food. 
I have eaten this bird in Siberia and 
Mongolia and can pronounce in its 
favor, but Marco is wrong when 
he says it has a foot like a parrot. 
Its foot is without a hind claw and 
the toes are close together, so that 
the Chinese have given it the name 
of ' dragon-foot.' The bird has a 
waddling motion while walking, and 
it is this which probably caused him 
to make the comparison." 

'' Erguiul is not very clearly 
identified," said Fred, as the doc- 
tor concluded, ''but Sinju is doubtless the modern 
Sining-Chau, a Chinese city near the frontier of 
Thibet. The cattle he speaks of are the yaks 
of Tartary, which you will find described in 
works on natural history. The yak has a close 
resemblance to the American buffalo or 
bison and is very fierce in its wild state. 
Marco exaggerates in representing 
the yak as almost as large as an 
elephant ; the largest described by 
any modern traveller was eleven A Chinese Pheasant. 

feet long, exclusive of the tail, and six feet high. Tame 
yaks are used as beasts of burden like oxen, and the best are 
kept for riding under the saddle. Marco's description of the 
musk deer is correct except as regards the tusks. He is also 




1 84 



THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO, 



right as to the pheasants, which are very large and far handsomer 
than the pheasants of Europe or America. Here is a picture of 
one." 

Fred paused and exhibited a drawing of a Chinese pheasant 
which secured the admiration of all who saw it. A few minutes 
were devoted to the inspection of the picture and then he 
continued. 

" Calachan In Egrigaia is probably the modern Alashan, a 
city of Chinese Tartary in about latitude 39° north. White 
camels are common in that part of the world, but the camlets of 




Great Wall of China— The Rampart of Gog and Magog. 

commerce are made from wool and not from the hair of the 
camel. 

"In the next paragraph," said Fred "we are in some doubt 
as to the location of Tenduc, but the city was probably the mod- 
ern one of Kwei-hwa-ching and the plain of Tenduc was the 
region around it. It has been remarked that Marco nowhere 
mentions the great wall of China. Colonel Yule thinks it was in 
his mind when he spoke of the country of Gog and Magog, and 
that he should have said 'here we are beside the great wall 



THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA. 



185 



known as the rampart of Gog and Magog.' The towns and 
villages he mentions were probably to the north of the great wall, 
where there are now plenty of ruins to show that towns formerly 
existed. Sindachu is the modern Siwanhwa-fu, which lies about 
twenty-five miles south of the great wall on the road from 
Kiachta to Peking. There is a gate through the great wall at the 
city of Chang-kia-kow, which the Russians call Kalgan. Passing 
this gate the first city we reach is Siwanhwa-fu which has proba- 
bly changed very little since Polo's travels. 

'' We will vary the proceedings by calling on the president 
of the Society to tell us about 
the great wall," said Fred, 
as he turned in the direction 
of that young gentleman. 
** He has studied the subject 
and can give us some inter- 
esting information." 

Thus appealed to the 
president could not easily 
refuse. Rising to his feet, 
and clearing his throat for 
the effort, he spoke as fol- 
lows : 

'' The great wall of China 
is called the Wa7i-li-chang 
or Myriad-mile-wall by the 
people- of the country. It 

was built bv the first empe- view of the Great Wall where the Lines Are Double. 

ror of the Tsin dynasty, about two hundred and twenty years 
before the Christian era, in order to keep out the Tartar 
tribes. It runs along the northern boundary of China, be- 
ginning at the Gulf of Pe-che-lee and extending westward 
about fourteen hundred miles. In many places there are double 
and triple lines extending for many miles. Adding these to the 
length of the single wall we have a total of two thousand miles, 




i86 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

or nearly one twelfth of the circumference of the globe. The wall 
is carried over hills and mountains and through valleys exactly 
as a farm wall is carried over the natural inequalities of the 
ground, and is justly considered one of the wonders of the world. 
Its general height is twenty feet including the parapet ; it is 
twenty-five feet thick at the base, and fifteen at the top, and at 
distances of about three hundred feet there are towers or bastions 
thirty feet square at the top and about forty feet high." 

He paused for a moment and some one asked what material 
was used in building the wall. 

'' The most of the way" he answered, *'it is built of brick or 
stone arranged in double walls and filled in with earth, but there 
are many miles of solid stone or brick. It has suffered much in 
the two thousand years since it was constructed and is greatly 
ruined, but it can be traced through its whole length, and at many 
places is in a fine state of preservation. This is especially the 
case near Chan-kia-kow or Kalgan, where the gateway and much 
of the wall on each side are in good condition. This is the point 
where it is generally visited by travellers from Peking." 

Amid the applause which followed Henry's first attempt at 
description, Frank rose and made ready to continue his part of 
the work. 

CONCERNING THE KAAN'S PALACE OF CHAGAN NOR. 

At the end of three days from the place last mentioned you find a 
city called Chagan Nor, which is as much as to say White Pool, at 
which there is a great Palace of the Grand Kaan's ; and he likes much to 
reside there on account of the Lakes and Rivers in the neighborhood, which 
are the haunt of swans and of a great variety of other birds. The adjoin- 
ing plains too abound with cranes, partridges, pheasants, and other game 
birds, so that the Emperor takes all the more delight in staying there, in 
order to go a-hawking with his gerfalcons and other falcons, a sport of 
which he is very fond. 

There are five different kinds of cranes found in those tracts, as I shall 
tell you. First, there is one which is very big, and all over as black as a 



THE EMPEROR'S SUMMER PALACE. 



187 



crow ; the second kind again is all white, and is the biggest of all ; its 
wings are really beautiful, for they are adorned with round eyes like those 
of a peacock, but of a resplendent golden color, whilst the head is red and 
black on a white ground. The third kind is the same as ours. The 
fourth is a small kind, having at the ears beautiful long pendant feathers 
of red and black. The fifth kind is gray all over and of great size, with a 
handsome head, red and black. 




Pavilion at Yuen-min-Yuen. 

Near this city there is a valley in which the Emperor has had several 
little houses erected in which he keeps in mew a huge number of cators, 
which are what we call the great partridge. You would be astonished to 
see what a quantity there are, with men to take charge of them. So 
whenever the Kaan visits the place he is furnished with as many as he 
wants. 



1 88 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

OF THE CITY OF CHAXDU, AND THE KAAN'S PALACE THERE. 

And when you have ridden three days from the city last mentioned, 
between northeast and north, you come to a city called Chandu, which 
was built by the Kaan now reigning. There is at this place a very fine 
marble palace, the rooms of which are all gilt and painted with figures of 
men and beasts and birds, and with a variety of trees and flowers, all exe- 
cuted with such exquisite art that )^ou regard them with delight and 
astonishment. 

Round this Palace a wall is built, inclosing a compass of sixteen miles, 
and inside the Park there are fountains and rivers and brooks, and beauti- 
ful meadows, with all kinds of wild animals (excluding such as are of 
ferocious nature), which the Emperor has procured and placed there to 
supply food for his gerfalcons and hawks, which he keeps here in mew. 
Of these there are more than 200 gerfalcons alone, without reckoning the 
other hawks. The Kaan himself goes every week to see his birds sit- 
ting in mew, and sometimes he rides through the park w^th a leopard 
behind him on his horse's croup ; and then if he sees any animal that 
takes his fancy, he slips his leopard at it, and the game when taken is 
made over to feed the hawks in mew. This he does for diversion. 

Moreover, at a spot in the park where there is a charming wood, he 
has another palace built of cane, of which I must give you a description. 
It is gilt all over, and most elaborately finished inside. It is stayed on 
gilt and lackered columns, on each of which is a dragon all gilt, the tail 
of which is attached to the column whilst the head supports the archi- 
trave, and the claws likewise are stretched out right and left to support 
the architrave. The roof, like the rest, is formed of canes, covered with 
a varnish so strong and excellent that no amount of rain will rot them. 
These canes are a good three palms in girth, and from ten to fifteen paces 
in length. They are cut across at each knot, and then the pieces are split 
so as to form from each two hollow tiles, and with these the house is 
roofed ; only every such tile of cane has to be nailed down to prevent the 
wind from lifting it. In short, the whole palace is built of these canes, 
which serve also for a great variety of other useful purposes. The con- 
struction of the palace is so devised that it can be taken down and put 
up again with great celerity ; and it can all be taken to pieces and removed 



A WONDERFUL HORSE STORY. 



189 



whithersoever the Emperor may command. When erected, it is braced 
against mishaps from the wind by more than 200 cords of silk. 

The Lord abides at this Park of his, dwelHng sometimes in the Mar- 
ble Palace and sometimes in the Cane Palace for three months of the 
year, to wit, June, July, and August, preferring this residence because it 
is by no means hot ; in fact it is a very cool place. When the 28th day 
of August arrives he takes his departure, and the Cane Palace is taken to 
pieces. But I must tell you what happens when he goes away from this 
Palace every year on the 28th of August. 

You must know that the Kaan keeps an immense stud of white 
horses and mares ; in fact, 
more than 10,000 of 
them, and all pure white 
without a speck. The 
milk of these mares is 
drunk by himself and his 
family and by none else, 
excpt by those of one 
great tribe that have 
also the privilege of 
drinking it. This priv- 
ilege was P"ranted them Catching Horses in Tartary. (From a Native Sketch.) 

by Chinghis Kaan, on account of a certain victory that they helped him 
to win long ago. The name of the tribe is HORIAD. 

Now when these mares are passing across the country, and any one 
falls in with them, be he the greatest lord in the land, he must not pre- 
sume to pass until the mares have gone by ; he must either tarry where 
he is, or go a half-day's journey round if need so be, so as not to come 
nigh them ; for they are to be treated with the greatest respect. Well, 
when the Lord sets out from the Park on the 28th of August, as I told 
you, the milk of all those mares is taken and sprinkled on the ground. 
And this is done on the injunction of the Idolaters and Idol-priests, who 
say that it is an excellent thing to sprinkle that milk on the ground every 
28th of August, so that the Earth and the Air and the False Gods shall 
have their share of it, and the Spirits likewise that inhabit the Air and 



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IQO THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

the Earth. And thus those beings will protect and bless the Kaan and 
his children and his wives and his folk and his gear, and his cattle and 
his horses, his corn and all that is his. After this is done, the Emperor 
is off and away. 

But I must now tell you a strange thing that hitherto I have forgot- 
ten to mention. During the three months of every year that the Lord 
resides at that place, if it should happen to be bad weather, there are 
certain crafty enchanters and astrologers in his train, who are such adepts 
in necromancy and the diabolic arts, that they are able to prevent any 
cloud or storm from passing over the spot on which the Emperor's 
Palace stands. The sorcerers who do this are called Tebet and 
Kesimur, which are the names of two nations of Idolaters. Whatever 
they do in this way is by the help of the Devil, but they make those 
people believe that it is compassed by dint c^f their own sanctity and the 
help of God. They always go in a state of dirt and uncleanness, devoid 
of respect for themselves, or for those who see them, unwashed, unkempt, 
and sordidly attired. 

There is another marvel performed by those Bacsi, of whot^ I h-cw-^ 
been speaking as knowing so many enchantments. For -.vhen the Great 
Kaan is at his capital and in his great Palace, se?*^^d at his table, which 
stands on a platform some eight cubits above i-^-e ground, his cups are set 
before him on a great buffet in the middle ^^ the hall pavement, at a dis- 
tance of some ten paces from his table, and filled with wine, or other 
good spiced liquor such as they use. ' Now when the Lord desires to 
drink, these enchanters by the power oi their enchantments cause the 
cups to move from their places without being touched by anybody, 
and to present themselves to the Emperor \ This every one present may 
witness, and there are ofttimes more than 10,000 persons thus present. 
'T is a truth and no lie ! and so will tell you the sages of our own country 
who understand necromancy, for they also ca^ perform it. 

And when the Idol Festivals come round, these Bacsigo to the Prince 
and say : '' Sire, the Feast of such a god is corfe " (naming him). ''My 
Lord, you know," the enchanter will say, ''that this god, when he gets no 
offerings, always sends bad weather and spoils ou' seasons. So we pray 
you to give us such and such a number of blac<-faced sheep," naming 



MONKS OF THIBET. 



191 



whatever number they please. *' And we beg also, good my lord, that we 
may have such a quantity of incense, and such a quantity of lignaloes, 
and " — so much of this, so much of that, and so much of 't other, accord- 
ing to their fancy — '' that we may perform a solemn service and a great 
sacrifice to our Idols, and that so they may be induced to protect us and 
all that is ours." 

The Bacsi say these things to the Barons entrusted with the Steward- 
ship, who stand round the Great Kaan, and these repeat them to the 
Kaan, and he then orders ^-.^ -vs?iiSh-i:r-_: 

the Barons to give every 
thing that the Bacsi have 
asked for. And when they 
have got the articles they 
go and make a great feast 
in honor of their god, and 
hold great ceremonies of 
worship with grand illumi- 
nations and quantities of 
incense of a variety of 
odors, which they make up 
from different aromatic 
spices. And then they 
cook the meat, and set it 
before the idols, and sprin- 
kle the broth hither and 
thither, saying that in this 
way the idols get their A Thibetan Bacsi. 

bellyful. Thus it is that they keep their festivals. You must know that 
each of the idols has a name of his own, and a feast-day, just as our 
Saints have their anniversaries. 

They have also immense Minsters and Abbeys, some of them as big as 
a small town, with more than two thousand monks {i. e., after their fashion) 
in a single abbey. These monks dress more decently than the rest of the 
people, and have the head and beard shaven. There are some among 
these Bacsi who are allowed by their rule to take wives, and who have 
plenty of children. 




192 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

Then there is another kind of devotees called Sensin, who are men of 
extraordinary abstinence after their fashion, and lead a life of such hard- 
ship as I will describe. All their life long they eat nothing but bran, 
which they take mixt with hot water. That is their food : bran, and 
nothing but bran ; and water for their drink. 'T is a lifelong fast ! so that 
I may well say their life is one of extraordinary asceticism. They have 
great idols, and plenty of them ; but they sometimes also worship fire. 
The other Idolaters who are not of this sect call these people heretics — 
Patarins, as we should say — because they do not worship their idols in 
their own fashion. Those of whom I am speaking would not take a wife 
on any consideration. They wear dresses of hempen stuff, black and 
blue, and sleep upon mats ; in fact, their asceticism is something aston- 
ishing. 

Now let us have done with this subject, and let me tell you of the 
great state and wonderful magnificence of the Great Lord of Lords ; I 
mean that great Prince who is the Sovereign of the Tartars, CUBLAY by 
name, that most noble and puissant Lord. 

'* This is the end of the first book of Marco Polo's narrative," 
said Fred as Frank paused and sat down. '' Chagan Nor and 
Chandu are nov^ in ruins, and the place where the emperor had 
his summer court is overgrown with weeds and inhabited only by 
wild animals and birds. The cranes, partridges, and pheasants 
are by no means extinct, though it is not easy to find them 
exactly as described by our traveller. In later times the Chinese 
emperors had their summer palace at Yuen-min-Yuen, and the 
description of Chandu is by no means inappropriate for Yuen- 
min-Yuen. The park was devastated and the buildings were de- 
stroyed by the French and English armies in i860 at the time of 
the capture of Peking. According to all accounts it was a place 
of great beauty and an enormous amount of money had been 
expended upon it." 

'' Was it really true," said one of the younger auditors, '' that 
the emperor had a palace built of canes ? " 

'' The canes referred to were bamboos," Fred answerd, '' and 



USES OF BAMBOO, 



193 



it is not at all improbable that there was a whole palace built of 
this wood. The bamboo is one of the most useful plants in the 
world, and the people of China, Japan, and other countries of the 
East employ it for an endless variety of purposes. Hear what 
one traveller says of it : — 

" An intelligent native of Arakan who accompanied me in the forests 
of the Burmese frontier, and who used to ask many questions about 
Europe, seemed able to 
apprehend almost every 
thing except the possibili- 
ty of existence in a coun- 
try without bamboos! 
When I speak of bamboo 
huts, I mean to say that 
posts and walls, wall-plates 
and rafters, floor and 
thatch, and the withes 
that bind them, are all of 
bamboo. In fact, it might 
almost be said that among 
the Indo-Chinese nations 
the staff of life is a bam- 
boo ! Scaffolding and lad- 
ders, landing-jetties, fish- 
ing apparatus, irrigation 
wheels and scoops, oars, 
masts, and 3/ards [add in 
China, sails, cables, and 
caulking, asparagus, medi- 
cine, and works of fan- 
tastic art], spears and arrows, hats and helmets, bow, bowstring, and 
quiver, oil-cans, water-stoups, and cooking-pots, pipe-sticks [tinder and 
means of producing fire], conduits, clothes-boxes, pawn-boxes, dinner-trays, 
pickles, preserves, and melodious musical instruments, torches, footballs, 




Pagoda and Gardens of the Emperor's Summer Palace, 
Yuen-min-Yuen. 



194 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO, 

cordage, bellows, mats, paper ; these are but a few of the articles that arc 
made from the bamboo ; and in China it maintains order throughout the 
Empire, as it is with sticks of bamboo that offenders are beaten in Chinese 
courts of justice." 

'' So much for the bamboo," said Fred, '* and we might 
say a great deal more on the subject if time permitted. The 
practice of sprinkling milk on the ground as an offering to the 
gods still prevails in parts of Central Asia and Tartary, and has 
been mentioned repeatedly by modern travellers. The Bacsi or 
sorcerers who claimed to produce rain or fair weather at will are 
nothing new, as we have already seen, and they still practise 
their arts in other parts of the world. More interesting than the 
feats with the weather w^ere their tricks at conjuring, as shown in 
moving the cups to the emperor's lips. Marco probably saw the 
performance, as he vehemently asserts that it is the truth and 
no lie. 

*' The Tartar conjurors were, no doubt, very skilful, but their 
exhibitions have been equalled by the jugglers of India and 
China. Let me read an account of what was seen by one 
traveller since Marco's day : — 

" That same night a juggler, who was one of the Kan's slaves, made 
his appearance, and the Amir said to him : * Come and show us some of 
your marvels.' Upon this he took a wooden ball, with several holes in it 
through which long thongs were passed, and (laying hold of one of these) 
slung it into the air. It went so high that we lost sight of it altogether. 
(It was the hottest season of the year, and we were outside in the middle 
of the palace court.) There now remained only a little of the end of a 
thong in the conjuror's hand, and he desired one of the boys who assisted 
him to lay hold of it and mount. He did so, climbing by the thong, and 
we lost sight of him also ! The conjuror then called to him three times, 
but getting no answer he snatched up a knife as if in a great rage, laid 
hold of the thong, and disappeared also ! By and bye he threw down one 
of the boy's hands, then a foot, then the other hand, and then the other 
foot, then the trunk, and last of all the head ! Then he came down him- 



THE FAKIR'S OF INDIA, 



195 



self, all puffing and panting, and with his clothes all bloody kissed the 
ground before the Amir, and said something to him in Chinese. The 
Amir gave some order in reply, and our friend then took the lad's limbs, 
laid them together in their places, and gave a kick, when, presto ! there 
was the boy who got up and stood before us ! All this astonished 
me beyond measure, and I had an attack of palpitation like that which 
overcame me once before in the presence of the Sultan of India, when he 
showed me something of the same kind. The Kazi Afkharuddin was 
next to me, and quoth he: 

* Wallah I 't is my opinion 
there has been neither going 
up nor coming down, neither 
marring nor mending; 't is all 
hocus pocus ! ' 

'' Again we have in the 
Memoirs of the Emperor 
Jahangir a detail of the won- 
derful performances of seven 
jugglers from Bengal who ex- 
hibited before him. Two of 
their feats are thus described : 

* They produced a man whom 
they divided limb from limb, 
actually severing his head 
from the body. They scat- 
tered these mutilated mem- 
bers along the ground, and 
in this state they lay for some time. They then extended a sheet or 
curtain over the spot, and one of the men putting himself under the 
sheet, in a few minutes came from below, followed by the individual sup- 
posed to have been cut into joints, in perfect health and condition, and 
one might have safely sworn that he had never received wound or injury 
whatever. * * * They produced a chain of fifty cubits in length, and 
in my presence threw one end of it toward the sky, where it remained as 
if fastened to somethi7ig in the air. A dog was then brought forward, and 




Chinese Conjuring Extraordinary. 



196 



THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 



being placed at the lower end of the chain, immediately ran up, and 
reaching the other end, immediately disappeared i7t the air. In the same 
manner a hog, a panther, a lion, and a tiger were successively sent up the 
chain, and all equally disappeared at the upper end of the chain. At last 
they took down the chain and put it into a bag, no one ever discovering 
in what way the different animals were made to vanish into the air in the 
mysterious manner above described.' " 




A Monastery of Lamas. 

"A common trick in China," said the doctor, ''and one 
which I have several times witnessed, is for one man to stand 
with outstretched arms against a wooden fence while another 
takes a position about two hundred feet away with a basket full 
of knives. The knives are thrown one after the other and stuck 
in the fence, all around the head, shoulders, arms, and hands of 
the man standing against it. The performance requires the 
most unerring accuracy on the part of the thrower of the knives, 
and an equal amount of confidence by the other man. The 



THIBETAN CONVENTS. 197 

jugglers of India will fill a common flower-pot with earth, plant 
the seed of a mango in it, and then sit down and fan it gently 
with a bit of a cloth. In a few moments the earth in the centre of 
the pot lifts a little, then the plant rises, it grows steadily, leaves, 
buds, and blossoms appear, and then the fruit, which ripens and 
is ready to be taken from the tree all in the space of half an 
hour. Finally, the fruit is cut off and handed around to the 
spectators, and the performer collects his money for the trick and 
departs. How it is done nobody has been able to find out." 

Some one asked if the monks were as numerous now as in 
Polo's time, and if they really had as many as two thousand in 
one building. 

'' Certainly," was the reply. '' One traveller (Turner) men- 
tions a Thibetan convent with two thousand five hundred ; Abbe 
Hue saw a convent with two thousand Lamas, and another with 
four thousand ; and one of the convents at Lassa is said to have 
no less than seven thousand frv^ hundred monks living there. 
They show a copper kettle of a capacity of a hundred buckets, 
and say this is used for making tea for the Lamas. Most of the 
Buddhist priests must remain single, but there is one sect which 
is permitted to marry." 

'' There is a custom among the " 

Here Fred looked at the clock and paused. '' It is too late 
to deal further with Tartar customs," he continued, "and I move 
an adjournment. We shall have enough to occupy ourselves in 
• hearing about the court of Kublai Khan." 

The motion was carried and the meeting was declared ad- 
journed. 



CHAPTER X. 

Kublai Khan and How He Went to Battle — Tartar Mode of Warfare — Elephants Used on the 
Battie-Field — A Doubtful Narrative — Court and Capital of the Emperor — Cambaluc, the An- 
cient Peking — Early Uses of the Umbrella — Its First Appearance in England. 

There was a full attendance at the next meeting of the 
Society, every member having taken advantage of his right to 
bring a friend to listen to the description of Kublai Khan and 
his court. The president congratulated them on their interest 
and also on their promptness in assembling, and then called 
Frank to his feet. The young man was greeted as usual with a 
round of applause, for which he bowed his acknowledgments and 
then proceeded to the business of the evening. 

BOOK II. 

OF CUBLAY KAAN, THE GREAT KAAN NOW REIGNING, AND OF HIS 

GREAT PUISSANCE. 

Now am I come to that part of our book in which I shall tell you of 
the great and wonderful magnificence of the Great Kaan now reigning, 
by name CUBLAY Kaan ; Kaan being a title which signifyeth *' The 
Great Lord of Lords," or Emperor. And of a surety he hath good right 
to such a title, for all men know for a certain truth that he is the most, 
potent man, as regards forces and lands and treasure, that existeth in the 
world, or ever hath existed from the time of our First Father Adam until 
this day. All this I will make clear to you for truth, in this book of 
ours, so that every one shall be fain to acknowledge that he is the greatest 
Lord that is now in the world, or ever hath been. 

CONCERNING THE REVOLT OF NAYAN, WHO WAS UNCLE TO THE 

GREAT KAAN CUBLAY. 
Now this Cublay Kaan is of the right Imperial lineage, being descended 
from Chinghis Kaan, the first sovereign of all the Tartars. And he is the 



HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY. 



199 



sixth Lord in that succession, as I have already told you in this book. 
He came to the throne in the year 1256, and the Empire fell to him be- 
cause of his ability and valor and great worth, as was right and reason. 




Conventional Portrait of the Great Monarch. 
His brothers, indeed, and other kinsmen disputed his claim, but his it re- 
mained, both because maintained by his great valor, and because it was in 
law and right his, as being directly sprung of the Imperial Hne. 



200 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

Up to the year now running, to wit 1298, he hath reigned two and 
forty years, and his age is about eighty-five, so that he must have been 
about forty-three years of age when he first came to the throne. Before 
that time he had often been to the wars, and had shown himself a gallant 
soldier and an excellent captain. But after coming to the throne he 
never went to the wars in person save once. This befel in the year 1286, 
and I will tell you how he went. 

There was a great Tartar Chief, whose name was Nayan, a young 
man of thirty. Lord over many lands and many provinces, and he was 
Uncle to the Emperor Cublay Kaan of whom we are speaking. And 
when he found himself in authority this Nayan waxed proud in the inso- 
lence of his youth and his great power ; for indeed he could bring into 
the field 300,000 horsemen, though all the time he was liegeman to his 
nephew the Great Kaan Cublay as was right and reason. Seeing then 
what great power he had, he took it into his head that he would be the 
the Great Kaan's vassal no longer ; nay, more, he would fain wrest his 
empire from him if he could. So this Nayan sent envoys to another 
Tartar Prince called Caidu, also a great and potent Lord, who was a 
kinsman of his, and who was a nephew of the Great Kaan and his lawful 
liegeman also, though he was in rebellion and at bitter enmity with his 
sovereign Lord and Uncle. Now the message that Nayan sent was this : 
That he himself was making ready to march against the Great )Kaan with 
all his forces (which were great), and he begged Caidu to do likewise from 
his side, so that by attacking Cublay on two sides at once with such great 
forces they would be able to wrest his dominion from him. 

And when Caidu heard the message of Nayan, he was right glad 
thereat, and thought the time was come at last to gain his object. So he 
sent back answer that he would do as requested ; and got ready his host, 
which mustered a good hundred thousand horsemen. 

HOW THE GREAT KAAN MARCHED AGAINST NAYAN. 

When the Great Kaan heard what was afoot, he made his prepara- 
tions in right good heart, like one who feared not the issue of an 
attempt so contrary to justice. Confident in his own conduct and 
prowess, he was in no degree disturbed, but vowed that he would never 



A TARTAR ARMY, 



201 




wear crown again if he brought not those two traitorous and disloyal 
Tartar chiefs to an ill end. So swiftly and secretly were his preparations 
made that no one knew of them but his Privy Council, and all were com- 
pleted within ten or twelve days. In that time he had assembled good 
360,000 horsemen and 100,000 footmen,— but a small force indeed for 
him, and consisting only of those that were in the vicinity. For the rest 
of his vast and innumerable forces were too far off to answer so hasty a 
summons, being engaged under orders from him on distant expeditions 
to conquer divers countries 
and provinces. If he had 
waited to summon all his 
troops, the multitude as- 
sembled would have been 
beyond all belief, a multi- 
tude such as never was 
heard of or told of, past all 
counting ! In fact, those 
360,000 horsemen that he 
got together consisted mere- 
ly of the falconers and 
whippers-in that were about 
the court ! 

And when he had got 
ready this handful (as it 

were) of his troops, he or- Mongol Inscription on Stone, of ancient date. 

dered his astrologers to declare whether he should gain the battle and 
get the better of his enemies. After they had made their observations, 
they told him to go on boldly, for he would conquer and gain a glorious 
victory : whereat he greatly rejoiced. 

So he marched with his army, and after advancing for twenty days 
they arrived at a great plain where Nayan lay with all his host, amounting 
to some 400,000 horse. Now the Great Kaan's forces arrived so fast and 
so suddenly that the others knew nothing of the matter. For the Kaan 
had caused such strict watch to be made in every direction for scouts 
that every one that appeared was instantly captured. Thus Nayan had 



^sW ^^^1 i^^^^^H ^^^^^^gl^^^^gl^^ ^^^^^ ^^^gfej;- 



202 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

no warning of his coming and was completely taken by surprise ; inso- 
much that when the Great Kaan's army came up, he was asleep. So 
thus you see why it was that the Emperor equipped his force with such 
speed and secresy. 

OF THE BATTLE THAT THE GREAT KAAN FOUGHT WITH NAYAN. 

What shall I say about it ? When day had well broken, there was 
the Kaan with all his host upon a hill overlooking the plain where Nayan 
lay in his tent, in all security, without the slightest thought of any one 
coming thither to do him hurt. In fact, this confidence of his was such 
that he kept no vedettes whether in front or in rear ; for he knew nothing 
of the coming of the Great Kaan, owing to all the approaches having 
been completely occupied as I told you. Moreover the place was in a 
remote wilderness, more than thirty marches from the Court, though the 
Kaan had made the distance in twenty, so eager was he to come to battle 
with Nayan. 

And what shall I tell you next? The Kaan was there on the hill, 
mounted on a great wooden bartizan, which was borne by four well- 
trained elephants, and over him was hoisted his standard, so high aloft 
that it could be seen from all sides. His troops were ordered in battles 
of 30,000 men apiece ; and a great part of the horsemen had each a foot- 
soldier armed with a lance set on the crupper behind him (for it was thus 
that the footmen were disposed of) ; and the whole plain seemed to be 
covered with his forces. So it was thus that the Great Kaan's army was 
arrayed for battle. 

When Nayan and his people saw what happened, they were sorely 
confounded, and rushed in haste to arms. Nevertheless they made them 
ready in good style and formed their troops in an orderly manner. And 
when all were in battle array on both sides as I have told you, and 
nothing remained but to fall to blows, then might you have heard a 
sound arise of many instruments of various music, and of the voices of 
the whole of the two hosts loudly singing. For this is a custom of the 
Tartars, that before they join battle they all unite in singing and playing 
on a certain two-stringed instrument of theirs, a thing right pleasant to 
hear. And so they continue in their array of battle, singing and playing 



HOW THE BATTLE WAS FOUGHT 203 

in this pleasing manner, until the great Naccara of the Prince is heard to 
sound. As soon as that begins to sound the fight also begins on both 
sides; and in no case before the Prince's Naccara sounds dare any com- 
mence fighting. 

So then, as they were thus singing and playing, though ordered 
and ready for battle, the great Naccara of the Great Kaan began to 
sound. And that of Nayan also began to sound. And thenceforward 
the din of battle began to be heard loudly from this side and from that. 
And they rushed to work so doughtily with their bows and their maces, 
with their lances and swords, and with the arblasts of the footmen, 
that it was a wondrous sight to see. Now might you behold such 
flights of arrows from this side and from that, that the whole heaven was 
canopied with them and they fell 
like rain. Now might you see on 
this side and on that full many a 
cavalier and man-at-arms fall slain, 
insomuch that the whole field 
seemed covered with them. For 
fierce and furious was the battle, 
and quarter there was none given. 

But why should I make a long 

story of it ? You must know that Nacaras from an Indian Original. 

it was the most parlous and fierce and fearful battle that ever has 
been fought in our day. Nor have there ever been such forces in the 
field in actual fight, especially of horsemen, as were then engaged — 
for, taking both sides, there were not fewer than 760,000 horsemen, 
a mighty force! and that without reckoning the footmen, who were 
also very numerous. The battle endured with various fortune on this side 
and on that from morning till noon. But at the last, by God's pleasure 
and the right that was on his side, the Great Kaan had the victory, 
and Nayan lost the battle and was utterly routed. For the army of the 
Great Kaan performed such feats of arms that Nayan and his host could 
stand against them no longer, so they turned and fled. But this availed 
nothing for Nayan ; for he and all the barons with him were taken 
prisoners, and had to surrender to the Kaan with all their arms. 




204 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

Now you must know that Nayan was a baptized Christian, and 
bore the cross on his banner ; but this nought availed him, seeing how 
grievously he had done amiss in rebelling against his Lord. For he was 
the Great Kaan's liegeman, and was bound to hold his lands of him like 
all his ancestors before him. 

HOW THE GREAT KAAN CAUSED NAYAN TO BE PUT TO DEATH. 

And when the Great Kaan learned that Nayan was taken right glad 
was he, and commanded that he should be put to death straightway and 
in secret, lest endeavors should be made to obtain pity and pardon for 
him, because he was of the Kaan's own flesh and hlood. And this was 
the way in which he was put to death : he was wrapt in a carpet, and 
tossed to and fro so mercilessly that he died. And the Kaan caused him 
to be put to death in this way because he would not have the blood of his 
Line Imperial spilt upon the.ground or exposed in the eye of Heaven and 
before the Sun. 

And when the Great Kaan had gained this battle, as you have heard, 
all the Barons and people of Nayan's provinces renewed their fealty to the 
Kaan. Now these provinces that had been under the Lordship of Nayan 
were four in number, to wit : the first called Chorcha ; the second 
Cauly • the third Barscol ; the fourth Shcintinju. Of all these four 
great provinces had Nayan been Lord ; it was a very great dominion. 

And after the Great Kaan had conquered Nayan, as you have heard, 
it came to pass that the different kinds of people who were present, Sara- 
cens and Idolaters and Jews, and many others that believed not in God, 
did gibe those that were Christians because of the cross that Nayan had 
borne on his standard, and that so grievously that there was no bearing 
it. Thus they would say to the Christians : *' See now what precious 
help this Cross of yours hath rendered Nayan, who was a Christian and a 
worshipper thereof." And such a din arose about the matter that it 
reached the Great Kaan's own ears. When it did so, he sharply rebuked 
those who cast these gibes at the Christians ; and he also bade the Chris- 
tians be of good heart, '' for if the Cross had rendered no help to 
Nayan, in that It had done right well ; nor could that which was good, as 
It was, have done otherwise ; for Nayan was a disloyal and traitorous 



KUBLAI AND THE CHRISTIANS. 205 

Rebel against his Lord, and well deserved that which had befallen him. 
Wherefore the Cross of your God did well ia that It gave him no help 
against the right." And this he said so loud that everybody heard him. 
The Christians then replied to the Great Kaan : " Great King, you say the 
truth indeed, for our Cross can render no one help in wrong-doing ; and 
therefore it was that It aided not Nayan, who was guilty of crime and 
disloyalty, for It would take no part in his evil deeds." 

And so thenceforward no more was heard of the floutings of the un- 
believers against the Christians ; for they heard very well what the Sover- 
eign said to the latter about the Cross on Nayan's banner, and its giving 
him no help. 




A Tartar Prince at Home. 

''This account of a battle must be taken with a great many 
grains of salt," Fred remarked, as he rose to comment on what 
Frank had read. '' It is evident Marco had imbibed the spirit of 
exaggeration which prevails in the East, and multiplied very greatly 
the armies of the Khan and his so-called uncle. According to 
the Chinese histories, Nayan was not an uncle of Kublai, but a 
second or third cousin ; it is not correct, as Marco asserts, that 
Kublai never went to war in person except on this one occasion. 
Soon after he ascended the throne he led an army against his 



206 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



brother and rival, Arikbuga, and defeated him. Again in his old 
age he took the field against a rebel army in the north of his 
dominions. In the latter case he fought no battle, as the rebels 
scattered on his approach." 

** What a splendid correspondent of a newspaper Mr. Polo 
would be if he were living to-day," remarked the doctor in an 
undertone, as Fred paused a moment to collect his breath. 

The elders of the audience had a quiet laugh to themselves 
over the doctor's commentary. The younger ones did not seem 
to appreciate its force, but concluded they would be able to at a 
later period of life. 




A Caravan of Elephants Crossing a Mountain Stream. 

One of the young gentlemen wished to know the character of 
the bartizan which was said to have been carried on the backs of 
four trained elephants. 

'* Bartizan is an old English word meaning a timber parapet or 
watch-tower," Fred explained. '' It is more likely, however, that 
the Khan rode a single elephant on which there was a howdak, 
or saddle, in the shape of a tower. Four elephants would need to 
be remarkably well trained to make it safe to ride in a saddle borne 
by all of them together, especially in battle, and the great Kublai 



SOME ORIENTAL CUSTOMS. 207 

was too cautious to trust himself and the probable fate of the battle 
to a contrivance of this kind. Elephants were just then coming 
into use in China, and their presence on the field would go a 
great way towards alarming the enemy." 

'' Allowing for exaggerations of numbers," said Dr. Allen, 
"the account of the battle is doubtless a very good one. It ex- 
plains the Tartar and Chinese mode of making war, as they both 
consider a great noise to be part of the programme. They gen- 
erally wait until the commander has given the signal for fighting 
before they begin their hubbub. Marco has reversed the usual 
order of things, and evidently forgets that if the soldiers make 
such a din as he describes, they 
would be unable to hear the signal 
of the great nacara at all. 

'' The nacara is a sort of kettle- 
drum which is still in use in the 
East, and not altogether unknown in 
Europe. Some nacaras are of great 
size, but usually they are about four 
feet in diameter. It is quite likely 
that Kublai had a drum of unusual 
dimensions, and for greater effect had • ^^^^'^^ ^^°"^ ^ ^^^^^'^ ^"g^^^^- 
it mounted on an elephant. And now we will listen to Fred, who 
has something to tell you about one of the incidents that followed 
the battle." 

'' It 's a disagreeable subject," said the youth, "and we '11 get 
over it as soon as possible. I refer to the manner in which the 
Khan put Nayan to death. The aversion to shedding royal 
blood still prevails in most countries of Asia. Ordinary persons 
may be beheaded by the executioner, but those of royal families 
are strangled or smothered. Perhaps you may have read not 
long ago how the King of Burmah put to death his brothers and 
sisters for fear some of them might attempt to succeed him on 
the throne. In spite of his barbarity he was governed by the 
same feelings that animated Kublai when he disposed of his 
rebellious relative." 




208 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



Fred sat down and Frank resumed the narrative. But before 
doing so he explained that the book contained descriptions of 




Zi 



m 



7% 







in the Old Chiriese Seal Charactex, of an 
INSCRIPTION on allemoTialTaisedLy KUBLAl-KAAN 

to aBuddhishEcclesiasUcin the vicinity of Ms SUM M E R- 
PALACE at SHAN CTU in Mongolia, 

Bi (hired f-aiTi' cujacsiniiloohtamcdoit f7i4>s/iof^b7/D^'S?i\ZBUSEELI. 
1872. 



other battles, but they were all so much like the one already 
given that he should exercise the editor's privilege, and con- 



PROMOTIONS AFTER THE BATTLE. 209 

dense them wherever he thought advisable. His auditors ex- 
pressed their approval of his intentions, and with this assurance 
he went on with the story. 

HOW THE GREAT KAAN WENT BACK TO THE CITY OF CAMBALUC. 

And after the Great Kaan had defeated Nayan in the way you have 
heard, he went back to his capital city of Cambaluc and abode there, 
taking his ease and making festivity. And the other Tartar Lord called 
Caydu was greatly troubled when he heard of the defeat and death of 
Nayan, and held himself in readiness for war ; but he stood greatly in 
fear of being handled as Nayan had been. 

I told you that the great Kaan never went on a campaign but once, 
and it was on this occasion ; in all other cases of need he sent his sons or 
his barons into the field. But this time he would have none go in com- 
mand but himself, for he regarded the presumptuous rebellion of Nayan 
as far too serious and perilous an affair to be otherwise dealt with. 

HOW THE KAAN REWARDED THE VALOR OF HIS CAPTAINS. 

So we will have done with this matter of Nayan, and go on with our 
account of the great state of the Great Kaan. 

We have already told you of his lineage and of his age ; but now I 
must tell you what he did after his return, in regard to those barons who 
had behaved well in the battle. Him who was before captain of 100 he 
made captain of 1000 ; and him who was captain of 1000 men he made 
to be captain of 10,000, advancing every man according to his deserts 
and to his previous rank. Besides that, he also made them presents of 
fine silver plate and other rich appointments ; gave them Tablets of 
Authority of a higher degree than they held before ; and bestowed upon 
them fine jewels of gold and silver, and pearls and precious stones ; inso- 
much that the amount that fell to each of them was something aston- 
ishing. And yet 't was not so much as they had deserved ; for never 
were men seen who did such feats of arms for the love and honor of their 
Lord, as these had done on that day of tlie battle. 

Now those Tablets of Authority, of which I have spoken, are ordered 
in this way. The officer who is a captain of 100 hath a tablet of silver ; 



2IO THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO, 

the captain of looo hath a tablet of gold or silver-gilt ; the commander of 
10,000 hath a tablet of gold, with a lion's head on it. And I will tell 
you the weight of the different tablets, and what they denote. The 
tablets of the captains of 100 and 1000 weigh each of them 120 saggi ; 
and the tablet with the lion's head engraven on it, which is that of the 
commander of 10,000, weighs 220 saggi. And on each of the tablets is 
inscribed a device, which runs : '' By the strength of the great God, and of 
the great grace whicJi He hath accorded to our Emperor, may the name of 
the Kaan be blessed ; and let all siicJi as will not obey Jiim be slain and be 
destroyed. " And I tell you besides that all who hold these tablets Hke- 
wise receive warrants in writing, declaring all their powers and privileges. 

I should mention too that an officer who holds the chief command of 
100,000 men, or who is general-in-chief of a great host, is entitled to a 
tablet that weighs 300 saggi. It has an inscription thereon to the same 
purport that I have told you already, and below the inscription there is 
the figure of a lion, and below the lion the sun and moon. They have 
warrants also of their high rank, command, and power. Every one, more- 
over, who holds a tablet of this exalted degree is entitled, whenever he 
goes abroad, to have a little golden canopy, such as is called an umbrella, 
carried on a spear over his head in token of his high command. And 
whenever he sits, he sits in a silver chair. 

To certain very great lords also there is given a tablet with gerfalcons 
on it ; this is only to the very greatest of the Kaan's barons, and it con- 
fers on them his own full power and authority ; so that if one of those 
chiefs wishes to send a messenger any whither, he can seize the horses of 
any man, be he even a king, and any other chattels at his pleasure. 

CONCERNING THE PERSON OF THE GREAT KAAN. 

The personal appearance of the Great Kaan, Lord of Lords, whose 
name is Cublay, is such as I shall now tell you. He is of a good stature, 
neither tall nor short, but of a middle height. He has a becoming 
amount of flesh, and is very shapely in all his limbs. His complexion is 
white and red, the eyes black and fine, the nose well formed and well set 
on. He has four wives, whom he retains permanently as his legitimate 
consorts ; and the eldest of his sons by those four wives ought by rights 



AN IMPERIAL HOUSEHOLD. 



211 



to be emperor ; — I mean when his father dies. Those four ladies are 
called empresses, but each is distinguished also by her proper name. And 
each of them has a special court of her own, very grand and ample ; no 
one of them having fewer than 300 fair and charming damsels. They 
have also many pages and other attendants of both sexes ; so that each 
of these ladies has not less than 1000 persons attached to her court. 




Portrait of Kublai Khan. (From a Chinese Drawing.) 

CONCERNING THE GREAT KAAN'S SONS. 

The Emperor hath, by those four wives of his, twenty-two male 
children • the eldest of whom was called Chinkin for the love of 
the good Chinghis Kaan, the first Lord of the Tartars. And this Chin- 
kin, as the eldest son of the Kaan, was to have reigned after his father's 
death ; but, as it came to pass, he died. He left a son behind him, how- 
ever, whose name is Temur, and he is to be the great Kaan and Em- 
peror after the death of his Grandfather, as is but right ; he being the 
child of the Great Kaan's eldest son. And this Temur is an able and 
brave man, as he hath already proven on many occasions. 



212 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO, 

There are seven of the great Kaan's children who are kings of vast 
realms or provinces, and govern them well ; being all able and gallant 
men, as might be expected. For the great Kaan is the wisest and most 
accomplished man, the greatest Captain, the best to govern men and rule 
an Empire, as well as the most valiant, that ever has existed among all 
the Tribes of Tartars. 

CONCERNING THE PALACE OF THE GREAT KAAN. 

You must know that for three months of the year, to wit, December, 
January, and February, the Great Kaan resides in the capital city of 
Cathay, which is called Cambaluc, and which is at the northeastern ex- 
tremity of the country. In that city stands his great Palace, and now I 
will tell you what it is like. 

It is enclosed all round by a great wall forming a square, each side of 
which is a mile in length ; that is to say, the whole compass thereof is 
four miles. It is also very thick and a good ten 
paces in height, white-washed and loop-holed 
all round. At each angle of the wall there is 
a very fine and rich palace in which the war- 
harness of the Emperor is kept, such as bows 
and quivers, saddles and bridles, and bowstrings, 
and every thing needful for an army. Also 
midway between every two of these Corner 
Palaces there is another of the like , so that ^ , , ^T^T r .-u 

'' Sculptured Gerfalcon from the 

taking the whole compass of the enclosure you Gate of Iconium. 

find eight vast Palaces stored with the Great King's harness of war. And 
you must understand that each Palace is assigned to only one kind of 
article ; thus one is stored with bows, a second with saddles, a third with 
bridles, and so on in succession right round. 

The great wall has five gates on its southern face, the middle one 
being the great gate which is never opened on any occasion except when 
the Great Kaan himself goes forth or enters. Close on either side of this 
great gate is a smaller one by which all other people pass ; and then tow- 
ards each angle is another great gate, also open to people in general; 
so that on that side there are five gates in all. 




THE WALLS OF THE CHLNESE CAPITAL, 213 

Inside of this wall there is a second, enclosing a space that is 
sonaewhat greater in length than in breadth. This enclosure also has 
eight palaces corresponding to those of the outer wall, and stored 
like them with the King's harness of war. This wall also hath five 
gates on the southern face, corresponding to those in the outer wall, and 
hath one gate on each of the other faces as the outer wall hath also. In 
the middle of the second enclosure is the King's Great Palace, and I will 
tell you what it is like. 




West Gate of Peking 

You must know that it is the greatest Palace that ever was. Toward 
the north it is in contact with the outer wall, whilst toward the south 
there is a vacant space which the Barons and the soldiers are constantly 
traversing. The Palace itself hath no upper story, but is all on the 
ground floor, only the basement is raised some ten palms above the sur- 
rounding soil, and this elevation is retained by a wall of marble raised to 
the level of the pavement, two paces in width, and projecting beyond the 
base of the Palace so as to form a kind of terrace-walk, by which people 
can pass round the building, and which is exposed to view, whilst 
on the outer edge of the wall there is a very fine pillared balustrade ; 



214 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

and up to this the people are allowed to come. The roof is very lofty, 
and the walls of the Palace are all covered with gold and silver. They 
are also adorned with representations of dragons, sculptured and gilt, 
beasts and birds, knights and idols, and sundry other subjects. And 
on the ceiling too you see nothing but gold and silver and painting. On 
each of the four sides there is a great marble staircase leading to the top 
of the marble wall, and forming the approach to the Palace. 

The Hall of the Palace is so large that it could easily dine 6,000 
people ; and it is quite a marvel to see how many rooms there are 
besides. The building is altogether so vast, so rich, and so beautiful, 
that no man on earth could design any thing superior to it. The outside 
of the roof also is all colored with vermilion and yellow and green 
and blue and other hues, which are fixed with a varnish so fine and 
exquisite that they shine like crystal, and lend a resplendent lustre to the 
Palace as seen for a great way round. This roof is made too with such 
strength and solidity that it is fit to last for ever. 

On the interior side of the Palace are large buildings with halls and 
chambers, where the Emperor's private property is placed, such as his 
treasures of gold, silver, gems, pearls, and gold plate, and in which reside 
the ladies of the court. 

Between the two walls of the enclosure which I have described, there 
are fine parks and beautiful trees bearing a variety of fruits. There are 
beasts also of sundry kinds, such as white stags and fallow deer, gazelles 
and roebucks, and fine squirrels of various sorts, with numbers also of the 
animal that gives the musk, and all manner of other beautiful creatures, 
insomuch that the whole place is full of them, and no spot remains void 
except where there is trafific of people going and coming. The parks are 
covered with abundant grass ; and the roads through them being all 
paved and raised two cubits above the surface, they never become 
muddy, nor does the rain lodge on them, but flows off into the meadows, 
quickening the soil and producing that abundance of herbage. 

From that corner of the enclosure which is towards the north-west 
there extends a fine lake, containing fish of different kinds which the 
Emperor hath caused to be put in there, so that whenever he desires any 
he can have them at his pleasure. A river enters this lake and issues 



AN IMPERIAL PLEASURE GROUND. 



215 



from it, but there is a grating of iron or brass put up so that the fish can- 
not escape in that way. 

Moreover on the north side of the palace, about a bow-shot off, there 
is a hill which has been made by art from the earth dug out of the lake ; 
it is a good hundred paces in height and a mile in compass. This hill is 
entirely covered with trees that never lose their leaves, but remain ever 
green. And I assure you that wherever a beautiful tree may exist, and 
the Emperor gets news of it, he sends for it and has it transported bodily 
with all its roots and the earth attached to them, and planted on that 
hill of his. No matter how big the tree may be, he gets it carried by his 




Distant View of the Green Mount as It Now Is. 

elephants ; and in this way he has got together the most beautiful collec- 
tion of trees in all the world. And he has also caused the whole hill to 
be covered with the ore of azure, which is very green. And thus not 
only are the trees all green, but the hill itself is all green likewise ; and 
there is nothing to be seen on it that is not green ; and hence it is called 
the Green Mount; and in good sooth 't is named well. 

On the top of the hill again there is a fine big palace which is all green 
inside and out ; and thus the hill, and the trees, and the palace form to- 
gether a charming spectacle ; and it is marvellous to see their uniformity 



2l6 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



of color! Everybody who sees them is dehghted. And the Great Kaan 
has caused this beautiful prospect to be formed for the comfort and 
solace and delectation of his heart. 

You must know that beside the Palace that we have been describing, 
i. e., the Great Palace, the Emperor has caused another to be built just like 
his own in every respect, and this he hath done for his son when he shall 
reign and be Emperor after him. Hence it is made just in the same 
fashion and of the same size, so that every thing can be carried on in the 
same manner after his own death. It stands on the 
other side of the lake from the Great Kaan's Palace, 
and there is a bridge crossing the water from one to 
the other. The Prince in question holds now a Seal 
of Empire, but not with such complete authority as 
the Great Kaan, who remains supreme as long as he 
lives. 

Now I am going to tell you of the Chief City of 
Cathay, in which these Palaces stand ; and why it was 
built, and how. 








Vase from the Khan' 
Palace. 



'' We have already spoken of the tablets of 
authority distributed by the emperor," said 
Fred as he rose at the end of Frank's reading. 
'' Promotions after a battle are as common in 
our time as in the day of which Polo has writ- 
ten, but It is not always that they are made so 
universal as in the present instance. Military 
men will doubtless be puzzled to know what Kublai did with so 
many colonels and generals as he seems to have created after his 
return to his capital. They were probably as abundant in Cam- 
baluc as the same class of ofBcers were in Washington and New 
York during the last two years of the Civil War in America. 

'' You may be curious to know the value of the tablets which 
Marco describes. The saggio was a Venetian weight, equal to 
one sixth of an ounce ; in another place he makes it represent 
a miskal, which was about seventy-four grains troy. Conse- 



THE KHAN'S TABLETS OF HONOR. 



217 



quently the smallest of the tablets he mentions would have 
weighed about 18^ ounces." 

"■ The tablets were useful in more ways than one," remarked 
Dr. Allen in an undertone. '' It is quite likely that many of the 
officers employed them as collaterals on loan:: when they could 
not communicate with their bankers, just as modern officers have 
been known to leave their side-arms in pledge for the payment of 
obligations." 

'' History does not tell us about that," replied Fred, '' and we 
are therefore in doubt as to the ultimate fate of the metallic com- 
missions issued by the Great Khan. I have already described 
one of the Tartar tab- 
lets found in Siberia, 
and here is a picture 
of another. In one 
of the manuscripts of 
Polo's narrative they 
are said to have 
weighed from twenty- 
four to thirty-two 
ounces, which must 
have made them rath- 
er inconvenient for 
wearing at all times. 

'' The ornaments of the lion and the sun are of very ancient 
origin, and have descended to our time. They appear on the 
arms of the Shah of Persia, and also upon those of some of the 
princes of India. The gerfalcon, too, is of ancient as well as 
modern significance, and we find many things in Polo's story to 
remind us that there is nothing new under the sun. As for the 
umbrella, it is still a mark of authority in many parts of Asia and 
Africa. A king of Dahomey or Ashantee without his umbrella 
would be sadly deficient in royal power." 

'' I thought I had read somewhere that the umbrella was in- 
vented by an Englishman in the last century," said the youngest 




Practical use of the Umbrella. 



2i8 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

member of the Society. '' I was reading about It only a few days 
ago." 

'' The use of the umbrella against the sun is a very ancient 
custom," said Dr. Allen in reply to the remark, '' but you are 
right about Its Introduction into England. One Jonas Hanway, 
who had been in Persia, first appeared on the streets of London 
with an umbrella about the year 1 760 ; he was jeered at by the 
populace, and for a long time the use of an umbrella as a protec- 
tion against the rain was considered a mark of great weakness and 
effeminacy. The general use of umbrellas, as we now employ 
them, dates only from the beginning of this century. And in 
some Asiatic countries they retain only their ancient use, as a 
protection against the sun." 

'* About the personal appearance of Kublai Khan," continued 
Fred, '' I have nothing to say, for the very plain reason that we 
have no knowledge beyond that given by Polo. We are more 
interested in his palace just now, as we have more details con- 
cerning the city of Cambaluc than of its owner. Cambaluc 
stands for Peking, the present capital of China, and clearly known 
to have been the capital In Kublai Khan's time. There has been 
a city there for more than two thousand years, and it has been 
the capital under several dynasties. It was captured by Genghis 
Khan in 121 5, when it was known as Yenklng. Kublai adopted 
It as his chief residence in 1264, and founded the new city of 
Tatu, or ' Great Court,' a little distance from the old city of 
Yenklng. 

'' Perhaps the best way for us to compare the old with the 
new is for all to join me in the request that Dr. Allen will open 
the session of the next meeting with a short description of Peking 
as he saw it In his last journey round the world." 

'' I second the motion," said half a dozen in the same breath. 

The president rose and put the motion to vote. It was 
carried unanimously. Dr. Allen announced that he would com- 
ply with the request, and then, on another motion, duly seconded, 
an adjournment was voted. 



CHAPTER XL 

Dr. Allen's Story — Description of Peking as It Appears To-day — Comparisons of the Old and 
New Cities — Kublai Khan's Court and Ceremonies — The City of Cambaluc and Its Modern 
Successor — New Year's Day or the "White Feast" — The Khan's Liberality and How It 
Was Returned — An Imperial Banquet. 

Agreeably to his promise, Dr. Allen opened the next session 
of the Society with a description of Peking. 

'' There is great diversity of opinion," said he, '' as to the 
population of Peking. Some estimates exceed two millions, 
while others put it as low as eight hundred thousand ; between 
these extremes there is a wide range, and as the Chinese do not 
inform us as to the figures, we are left to make them for our- 
selves. Certainly the city covers a large area, and if it is as 
crowded as the other cities of China it has a great deal more than 
a million inhabitants. The Chinese do not take any census, and 
there are many parts of Peking where foreigners are forbidden 
to go, but, from all the information at hand, I think the popula- 
tion is not far from a million and a quarter. 

'' Peking stands on a plain, and is not visible until you get 
quite close to it. It is surrounded by walls, and consists of two 
parts which are separated by a wall ; the southern part is called 
the Chinese city, and the northern the Tartar city. The latter 
is the smaller both in area and population, as it is said to contain 
about twelve square miles, while the Chinese city contains 
fifteen. In the dividing wall between the two sections there are 
three gates, and there are thirteen gates in the outer walls. In 
front of nearly every gate there is a sort of bastion or screen, so 
that you cannot see the gate as you approach it, but must turn 
to one side or the other to go in or out. 

'' The walls of the Tartar city average about fifty feet high, 

219 



220 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



some parts rising sixty feet from the ground, and others less 
than forty. They are from twenty-five to fifty feet thick, being 
perpendicular outside, but sloping considerably on their inner 
front, and there are buttresses or towers at intervals of fifty or 
sixty yards. The material mostly used for front and rear was 
brick, but in many places the wall is faced with stone. The 
middle of the wall is of earth or concrete, and in several places 
the brick or stone has fallen away, and reveals the mode of con- 
struction. The top of the wall is of concrete, in which blocks 
of stone were set. 

''The walls of the Chinese city are about thirty feet high, 
and twenty-five feet thick ; and altogether the walls of both 

parts of Peking have 
a linear distance of 
nearly twenty-four 
miles. The arches of 
the gates are well built; 
most of them are sur- 
mounted with pagodas 
pierced with port- 
holes, and in time of 
war they are armed 
with cannon. 

'* The Chinese city 
is more populous than 
the Tartar one, but 
contains fewer objects of interest. A day is sufficient for look- 
ing at its shops, and making the rounds of its temples. The 
most important is the Tien-tan or ' Temple of Heaven,' as it is 
generally called by foreigners. It stands in a large enclosure, 
and the central building is not open to the public, though it may 
usually be visited on payment of a fee to the custodians. It is 
roofed with blue tiles, and was once an edifice of great grandeur, 
but is now sadly dilapidated. Inside the temple there are altars 
where sacrifices are offered to the memory of former rulers of 




A Ferry Near Peking. 



THE GOLDEN FISH-PONDS. 



22; 



China, and occasionally the emperor comes here to take part in 
the ceremonies. 

'' Opposite the Tien-taii is the Ti-ta7i, or * Temple of Agricul- 
ture,' and in the grounds near it the emperor comes once a year 
to guide the plough with his own hands in honor of the deities to 
whom the building is dedicated. A little distance away are the 
Golden Fish-Ponds, where vast numbers of gold-fish are reared, 
and from the ponds a short walk will bring you to the principal 




Peking Ladies Taking the Air. 

gate leading into the Tartar city. The main street through the 
Chinese city up to this gate is unusually wide for China, and is 
lined with booths and shops full of objects of interest to the 
stranger. 

'' The Tartar city consists of three enclosures, one inside the 
other ; the innermost of these enclosures is called the Prohibited 
City, and is surrounded by a yellow wall about two miles in cir- 
cumference. Yellow is the imperial color in China, and the tint 



222 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

of the wall of the Prohibited City indicates its character. The 
emperor and his court live here, and the entire space is devoted 
to the buildings and gardens belonging immediately to the ruler 
of the most populous nation of the globe. It is always difficult and 
sometimes impossible for a stranger to obtain admission to the 
Prohibited City, but it can usually be done through the influence 
of the representative of one's country and the skilful use of money 
with Chinese officials. The buildings in the Prohibited City in- 
clude the residences of members of the imperial famil}^ the offices 
of the emperor's cabinet, and several temples of different kinds. 
Among the edifices are the ' Hall of Intense Thought/ where 
sacrifices are made to Confucius and other sages ; the ' Hall of 
the Literary Abyss,' which contains an extensive library ; and 
the * Palace of Earth's Repose,' which is exclusively occupied by 
the empress and her court. Most of the palaces have gardens 
attached to them ; the one belonging to the palace of the empress 
is said to be the prettiest of all, but though I tried very hard I 
was not permitted to see it. 

'' The enclosure around the Prohibited City is known as the 
Imperial City ; it contains several palaces, temples, parks, and 
gardens ; and has four gates opening to the cardinal points of the 
compass. The buildings in this city are chiefly occupied by the 
military guards and other attaches of the government, and it is 
laid out with wide roads and streets, which are very unusual for 
a Chinese city. There is an artificial lake in the Imperial City, and 
the view from the bridge over it is one of the most remarkable in 
all China. 

''The outer part of the Tartar city, surrounding the Imperial 
one, contains the foreign legations, the Protestant and Catholic 
missions, a Mohammedan mosque, an enormous lamisary where 
great numbers of Buddhist priests reside, a temple of Confucius, 
the Imperial Observatory (founded by the Emperor Kangshi 
under the direction of foreign missionaries, but now greatly 
neglected), and the Imperial Examination Hall. In this hall 
there are ten thousand cells where the students are shut up dur- 



224 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO, 



Ing the examination and not allowed any communication with 
outsiders until they have written out their competitive exercises. 
The principal streets of this part of the Tartar city are of good 
width, but without pavements ; they are lined with shops and 
constantly filled with people by night as well as by day. The 
smaller streets and lanes are dirty and unattractive, and the 
visitor who ventures in them is glad to get out again very quickly. 
'' I have given you a general outline of Peking as it is to-day. 
North of the city there are several temples and other objects of 
interest ; the famous park, Yuen-min-Yuen, is about eight miles 
from Peking in a northeasterly direction, and is worth visiting for 
the sake of its beautiful gardens which remained after the destruc- 




.3=^----. 



Mule Litter for Mountain Travelling. 

tion of the palaces in i860. Continuing your travels through the 
Nankow Pass to Chan-kia-kow, about one hundred miles alto- 
gether, you reach the Great Wall which has already been de- 
scribed. It is a hard journey, as it must be made on horseback 
or in a mule litter ; carts may go to Nankow, about thirty miles, 
but from there through the Nankow Pass the road is not practi- 
cable for wheeled vehicles." 

As the doctor sat down, one of the members of the Society 
asked him to describe a mule litter. 

*' It is a box or carriage," said he, '' to be moved by mules or 
horses, in the same way that a sedan chair is carried by men. 



THE CITY OF THE GREA T KHAN. 225 

It is hung on two long poles parallel to each other, and about as 
far apart as the shafts of a cart. One animal is fastened be- 
tween the shafts in front and one in the rear ; the animals go 
at a walk, and the motion is not at all disagreeable. But occa- 
sionally the fastenings get loose and the shafts fall to the ground ; 
there is a commotion among the animals, and if the free one 
tries to run away the other may attempt to follow and drag the 
box after him. The traveller is badly shaken up, and not un- 
frequently sustains serious injury." 

The audience passed a vote of thanks to the doctor for his 
interesting account of Peking, and then Frank resumed the read- 
ing of Marco's narrative. 

CONCERNING THE CITY OF CAMBALUC. 

Now there was on that spot in old times a great and noble city called 
Cambaluc, which is as much as to say in our tongue " The City of the 
Emperor." But the Great Kaan was informed by the Astrologers that 
this city would prove rebellious, and raise great disorders against his im- 
perial authority. So he caused the present city to be built close beside 
the old one, with only a river between them. And he caused the people 
of the old city to be removed to the new town that he had founded ; and 
this is called Taidu. However, he allowed a portion of the people which 
he did not suspect to remain in the old city, because the new one could 
not hold the whole of them, big as it is. 

As regards the size of this new city, you must know that it has a com- 
pass of twenty-four miles, for each side of it hath a length of six miles, 
and it is four-square. And it is all walled round with walls of earth which 
have a thickness of full ten paces at bottom, and a height of more than 
ten paces ; but they are not so thick at top, for they diminish in thickness 
as they rise, so that at top they are only about three paces thick. And 
they are provided throughout with loop-holed battlements, which are all 
whitewashed. 

There are twelve gates, and over each gate there is a great and hand- 
some palace, so that there are on each side of the square three gates and 
five palaces ; for I ought to mention there is at each angle also a great 



226 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

and handsome palace. In those palaces are vast halls, in which are kept 
the arms of the city garrison. 

The streets are so straight and wide that you can see right along 
them from end to end and from one gate to the other. And up and 
down the city there are beautiful palaces, and many great and fine 
hostelries, and fine houses in great numbers. All the plots of ground on 
which the houses of the city are built are four-square, and laid out with 
straight lines ; all the plots being occupied by great and spacious palaces, 
with courts and gardens of proportionate size. All these plots were 
assigned to different heads of families. Each square plot is encompassed 
by handsome streets for traffic ; and thus the whole city is arranged in 
squares just like a chess-board, and disposed in a manner so perfect and 
masterly that it is impossible to give a description that should do it justice. 

Moreover, in the middle of the city there is a great clock — that is to 
say, a bell — which is struck at night. And after it has struck three times 
no one must go out in the city, unless it be for the needs of the sick. 
And those who go about on such errands are bound to carry lanterns 
with them. Moreover, the established guard at each gate of the city is 
lOOO armed men ; not that you are to imagine this guard is kept up for 
fear of any attack, but only as a guard of honor for the Sovereign, who 
resides there, and to prevent thieves from doing mischief in the town. 

HOW THE GREAT KAAN MAINTAINS A GUARD OF TWELVE THOUSAND 
HORSE, WHICH ARE CALLED KESHICAN. 

You must know that the Great Kaan, to maintain his state, hath a 
guard of twelve thousand horsemen, who are styled Keshican, which is 
as much as to say " Knights devoted to their Lord." Not that he keeps 
these for fear of any man whatever, but merely because of his own 
exalted dignity. These 12,000 men have four captains, each of whom is 
in command of 3000 ; and each body of 3000 takes a turn of three days 
and nights to guard the palace, where they also take their meals. After 
the expiration of three days and nights they are relieved by another 
3000, who mount guard for the same space of time, and then another 
body takes its turn, so that there are always 3000 on guard. Thus it 
goes until the whole 12,000, who are styled, as I said, Keshican, have been 



i 




ba 

Ph 



iiiiiiiia I II I 'iiii 1 1 i^^aMliiiiiii 



228 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

on duty ; and then the tour begins again, and so runs on from year's end 
to year's end. 

THE FASHION OF THE GREAT KAAX'S TABLE AT HIS HIGH FEASTS. 

And when the Great Kaan sits at table on any great court occasion, 
it is in this fashion. His table is elevated a good deal above the others, 
and he sits at the north end of the hall, looking towards the south, with 
his chief wife beside him on the left. On his right sit his sons and his 
nephews, and other kinsmen of the Blood Imperial, but lower, so that 
their heads are on a level with the Emperor's feet. And then the other 
Barons sit at other tables lower still. So also with the women ; for all 
the wives of the Lord's sons, and of his nephews and other kinsmen, sit 
at the lower table to his right ; and below them again the ladies of the 
other Barons and Knights, each in the place assigned by the Lord's 
orders. The tables are so disposed that the Emperor can see the whole 
of them from end to end, many as they are. Further, you are not to 
suppose that everybody sits at table ; on the contrary, the greater part of 
the soldiers and their officers sit at their meal in the hall on the carpets. 
Outside the hall will be found more than 40,000 people ; for there is a 
great concourse of folk bringing presents to the Lord, or come from 
foreign countries with curiosities. 

In a certain part of the hall near where the Great Kaan holds his 
table, there is set a large and very beautiful piece of workmanship in the 
form of a square coffer, or buffet, about three paces each way, exquisitely 
wrought with figures of animals, finely carved and gilt. The middle is 
hollow, and in it stands a great vessel of pure gold, holding as much as 
an ordinary butt ; and at each corner of the great vessel is one of smaller 
size, of the capacity of a firkin, and from the former the wine or beverage 
flavored with fine and costly spices is drawn off into the latter. And on 
the buffet aforesaid are set all the Lord's drinking vessels, among which 
are certain pitchers of the finest gold, which are called verniques, and are 
big enough to hold drink for eight or ten persons. And one of these is 
put between every two persons, besides a couple of golden cups with 
handles, so that every man helps himself from the pitcher that stands 
between him and his neighbor. And the ladies are supplied in the same 



COURT CEREMONIALS. 



229 



way. The value of these pitchers and cups is something immense ; in 
fact, the Great Kaan has such a quantity of this kind of plate, and of gold 
and silver in other shapes, as no one ever before saw or heard tell of, or 
could believe. 

There are certain Barons specially deputed to see that foreigners, who 
do not know the customs of the Court, are provided with places suited to 
their rank ; and these Barons are continually moving to and fro in the 
hall, looking to the wants of the guests at table, and causing the servants 
to supply them promptly with wine, milk, meat, 
or whatever they lack. At every door of the 
hall (or, indeed, wherever the Emperor may be) 
there stand a couple of big men like giants, one 
on each side, armed with staves. Their busi- 
ness is to see that no one steps upon the thres- 
hold in entering, and if this does happen, they 
strip the offender of his clothes, and he must 
pay a forfeit to have them back again ; or in lieu 
of taking his clothes, they give him a certain 
number of blows. If they are foreigners igno- 
rant of the order, then there are Barons ap- 
pointed to introduce them, and explain it to 
them. They think, in fact, that it brings bad 
luck if any one touches the threshold. 

And you must know that those who wait 
upon the Great Kaan with his dishes and his 
drink are some of the great Barons. They have the mouth and 
nose muffled with fine napkins of silk and gold, so that no breath 
nor odor from their persons should taint the dish or the goblet pre- 
sented to the Lord. And when the Emperor is going to drink, all 
the musical instruments, of which he has vast store of every kind, begin 
to play. And when he takes the cup all the Barons and the rest of the 
company drop on their knees and make the deepest obeisance before 
him, and then the Emperor doth drink. But each time that he does so 
the whole ceromony is repeated. 

I will say nought about the dishes, as you may easily conceive that 




Vase from the Emperor's Palace. 



230 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO, 

there is a great plenty of every possible kind. But you should know that 
in every case where a Baron or Knight dines at those tables, their wives 
also dine there with the other ladies. And when all have dined and the 
tables have been removed, then come in a great number of players and 
jugglers, adepts at all sorts of wonderful feats, and perform before the 
Emperor and the rest of the company, creating great diversion and 
mirth, so that everybody is full of laughter and enjoyment. And when 
the performance is over, the company breaks up and every one goes to 
his quarters. 

''You have doubtless observed," said Fred, "that there are 
many points of resemblance between the account which Polo 
gives of the city of Cambaluc six hundred years ago and what 
Dr. Allen has told us of the Peking of to-day. The present 
Tartar city stands on the site of Kublai's city of Taidu, but is 
only two thirds as large. The Mongols were expelled in 1368 ; 
the second king of the Ming dynasty, which succeeded the Mon- 
gols, cut off about a third of the old city. The walls of the portion 
which he abandoned still remain, but in a very ruined condition. 
The south front of the present Tartar city is the same as that of 
Kublai's, and the same is probably the case with the east and 
west sides. 

'' The ' great palaces ' which Marco describes as crowning the 
gates of the city were practically the same as the towers of which 
the doctor has told us. The water-clocks which he tells about 
may be seen to-day in China, and the tower where the hours 
were struck and whence alarms of fire were sent out still exists, 
and may be seen by visitors to Peking. 

''We have," continued Fred, "an interesting account of the 
way the palace was guarded. The custom is still retained in 
many of the courts of the East, though not on so grand a scale 
as here represented. We must bear in mind that it was before 
the days of gunpowder, and after his long association with soldiers 
armed with bows and arrows, it is not surprising that Marco 
should occasionally ' draw the long bow.' 



AN ORIENTAL SUPERSTITION 



231 



'' The same remark will apply to the Khan's mode of taking 
his dinner, which must have been a very serious meal. It is 
probable that the rest of the party were all in their places before 
the Khan entered the room, and that the dinner was more cere- 
monious than substantial. The butlers must have had a good deal 
to do in counting the silver after dinner, and making sure that 
the servants had carried away none of the valuables. The cus- 
tom of having certain barons to explain the ways of the court 
to strangers is not materially 
changed in our time. At nearly 
all the courts of Europe, strangers 
are brought before the master of 
ceremonies and instructed in 
what they must do at a royal 
or imperial presentation." 

Some one asked about the 
custom of avoiding to step on the 
threshold and what was its sig- 
nificance. 

Fred glanced inquiringly at 
the doctor, and the latter re- 
sponded at once. (i 

''Nobody can tell," said he, | 
*' exactly what it means, except 

that it was unlucky to step on "^ \^'''^ v---^ //''/", n, v ^^, 
the threshold on entering a house, Lama of High Rank. 

a room, or a tent. The superstition has prevailed in many ages 
and countries, and is not unknown to-day. The Mongols have 
a proverb that it is a sin to step on the threshold. There is a 
certain etiquette to be observed on entering a Mongol tent ; you 
must step over the ropes in a particular way, and to do otherwise 
will often give great offence. Strangers are generally excused on 
the ground of ignorance, but sometimes they will find themselves 
excluded from making a visit in consequence of their blun- 
dering." 




232 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



Fred resumed his commentary by remarking that **the pres- 
ence of a buffet, whence wine was served to the guests, was not 
pecuhar to Kublai's dining-hall. It prevails more or less in vari- 
ous countries of the globe, but especially in Asia. In the tents 
of the Mongols and Kirghese the kumiss bottle is ready for every 
visitor ; the Russians have adopted the custom by heating the 
samovar and serving tea whenever a visitor enters the house ; 
and I have heard that it was formerly the practice in New Eng- 




Scene in a Chinese Garden. 



land farm-houses to bring a pitcher of cider when a stranger hap- 
pened along or a neighbor dropped in. Even in New York and 
other cities hospitality is said frequently to take a form that 
might recall the customs of the court of the great Kublai. 

"■ We have already seen how the jugglers entertained the 
Khan and his subjects, and therefore I will not detain you longer, 
but ask Frank to let us hear what is to follow." 



A GENEROUS KING. 233 

Frank responded promptly to the request, and proceeded 
with the story. 

CONCERNING THE GREAT FEAST HELD BY THE GRAND KAAN EVERY 

YEAR ON HIS BIRTHDAY. 

You must know that the Tartars keep high festival yearly on their 
birthdays. And the Great Kaan was born on the 28th day of the 
September moon, so on that day is held the greatest feast of the year at 
the Kaan's Court, always excepting that which he holds on New Year's 
Day, of which I shall tell you afterwards. 

Now, on his birthday, the Great Kaan dresses in the best of his robes, 
all wrought with beaten gold ; and full 12,000 Barons and Knights on that 
day come forth dressed in robes of the same color, and precisely like 
those of the Great Kaan, except that they are not so costly ; but still 
they are all of the same color as his, and are also of silk and gold. Every 
man so clothed has also a girdle of gold ; and this as well as the dress is 
given him by the Sovereign. And I will aver that there are some of 
these suits decked with so many pearls and precious stones that a single 
suit shall be worth full 10,000 golden bezants. 

And of such raiment there are several sets. For you must know that 
the Great Kaan, thirteen times in a year, presents to his Barons and 
Knights such suits of raiment as I am speaking of. And on each occasion 
they wear the same color that he does, a different color being assigned to 
each festival. Hence you may see what a huge business it is, and that 
there is no prince in the world but he alone who could keep up such 
customs as these. 

On his birthday also, all the Tartars in the world, and all the countries 
and governments that owe allegiance to the Kaan, offer him great 
presents according to their several ability, and as prescription or orders 
have fixed the amount. And many other persons also come with great 
presents to the Kaan, in order to beg for some employment from him. 
And the Great Kaan has chosen twelve Barons on whom is laid the charge 
of assigning to each of these supplicants a suitable answer. 

On this day likewise all the Idolaters, all the Saracens, and all the 
Christians and other descriptions of people make great and solemn 



234 



THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 



devotions, with much chaunting and Hghting of lamps and burning of in- 
cense, each to the God whom he doth worship, praying that He would 
save the Emperor, and grant him long life and health and happiness. 

And thus, as I have related, is celebrated the joyous feast of the 
Kaan's birthday. 

OF THE GREAT FESTIVAL WHICH THE KAAN HOLDS ON NEW YEAR'S DAY. 

The beginning of their New Year is the month of February, and on 
that occasion the Great Kaan and all his subjects make such a Feast as I 
now shall describe. 




Yellow Temple at Peking. 

It is the custom that on this occasion the Kaan and all his subjects 
should be clothed entirely in white ; so, that day, everybody is in white, 
men and women, great and small. And this is done in order that they 
may thrive all through the year, for they deem that white clothing is 
lucky. On that day also all the people of all the provinces and govern- 
ments and kingdoms and countries that own allegiance to the Kaan bring 
him great presents of gold and silver, and pearls and gems, and rich 
textures of divers kinds. And this they do that the Emperor throughout 



THE KING'S ELEPHANTS. 



235 



the year may have abundance of treasure and enjoyment without care. 
And the people also make presents to each other of white things, and 
embrace and kiss and make merry, and wish each other happiness and 
good luck for the coming year. On that day, I can assure you, among 
the customary presents there shall be offered to the Kaan from various 
quarters more than 100,000 white horses, beautiful animals, and richly 
caparisoned. And you must know 't is their custom in offering presents 
to the Great Kaan (at least when the province making the present is able 
to do so), to present nine times nine articles. For instance, if a province 
sends horses, it sends nine times nine or 81 horses; of gold, nine times 




The Royal Elephants Taking Their Bath. 



nine pieces of gold, and so with stuffs or whatever else the present may 
consist of. 

On that day also, the whole of the Kaan's elephants, amounting fully 
to 5000 in number, are exhibited, all covered with rich and gay housings 
of inlaid cloth representing beasts and birds, whilst each of them carries 
on his back two splendid coffers ; all of these being filled with the Em- 
peror's plate and other costly furniture required for the Court on the 
occasion of the White Feast. And these are followed by a vast number 
of camels which are likewise covered with rich housings and laden with 



236 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

things needful for the Feast. All these are paraded before the Emperor, 
and it makes the finest sight in the world. 

Moreover, on the morning of the Feast, before the tables are set, all 
the Kings, and all the Dukes, Marquesses, Counts, Barons, Knights, and 
Astrologers, and Philosophers, and Leeches, and Falconers, and other 
ofificials of sundry kinds from all the places roundabout, present them- 
selves in the Great Hall before the Emperor ; whilst those who can find 
no room to enter stand outside in such a position that the Emperor can 
see them all well. And the whole company is marshalled in this wise. 
First are the Kaan's sons, and his nephews, and the other Princes of the 
Blood Imperial ; next to them all Kings ; then Dukes, and then all others 
in succession according to the degree of each. And when they are all 
seated, each in his proper place, then a great prelate rises and says with 
a loud voice : *' Bow and adore ! " And as soon as he has said this, the 
company bow down until their foreheads touch the earth in adoration 
toward the Emperor as if he were a god. And this adoration they repeat 
four times, and then go to a highly decorated altar, on which is a ver- 
milion tablet with the name of the Grand Kaan inscribed thereon, and a 
beautiful censer of gold. So they incense the tablet and the altar with 
great reverence, and then return each man to his seat. 

When all have performed this, then the presents are offered, of which 
I have spoken as being so rich and costly. And after all have been 
offered and been seen by the Emperor, the tables are set, and all take 
their places at them with perfect order as I have already told you. And 
after dinner the jugglers come in and amuse the Court as you have heard 
before ; and when that is over, every man goes to his quarters. 

CONCERNING THE TWELVE THOUSAND BARONS WHO RECEIVE ROBES 
OF CLOTH OF GOLD FROM THE EMPEROR ON THE GREAT FESTI- 
VALS, THIRTEEN CHANGES A-PIECE. 

Now you must know that the Great Kaan hath set apart 12,000 of his 
men who are distinguished by the name of Keshican^ as I have told you 
before ; and on each of these 12,000 Barons he bestows thirteen changes 
of raiment, which are all different from one another : I mean that in one 
set the 12,000 are all of one color ; the next 12,000 of another color, and 



WARDROBES OF THE BARONS. 237 

so on ; so that they are of thirteen different colors. These robes are 
garnished with gems and pearls and other precious things in a very rich 
and costly manner. And along with each of these changes of raiment, 
i. e., 13 times in the year, he bestows on each of those 12,000 Barons a 
fine golden girdle of great richness and value, and likewise a pair of boots 
of Gamut, that is to say of Borgal, curiously wrought with silver thread ; 
insomuch that when they are clothed in these dresses every man of them 
looks like a king ! And there is an established order as to which dress is 
to be worn at each of those thirteen feasts. The Emperor himself also 
has his thirteen suits corresponding to those of his Barons ; in color, I 
mean (though his are grander, richer, and costlier), so that he is always 
arrayed in the same color as his Barons, who are, as it were, his comrades. 
And you may see that all this costs an amount which it is scarcely 
possible to calculate. 

Now I have told you of the thirteen changes of raiment received from 
the Prince by those 12,000 Barons, amounting in all to 156,000 suits of so 
great cost and value, to say nothing of the girdles and the boots which 
are also worth a great sum of money. All this the Great Lord hath 
ordered, that he may attach the more of grandeur and dignity to his 
festivals. 

And now I must mention another thing that I had forgotten, but 
which you will be astonished to learn from this Book. You must know 
that on the Feast Day a great Lion is led to the Emperor's presence, and 
as soon as it sees him it lies down before him with every sign of the 
greatest veneration, as if it acknowledged him for its lord ; and it remains 
there lying before him, and entirely unchained. Truly this must seem a 
strange story to those who have not seen the thing ! 

The last statement did seem strange to the members of the 
Society, if we may judge by the exclamation of surprise that 
rippled through the assemblage. Fred suggested that it was 
likely the lion had been trained to perform his part in the im- 
perial programme, and obeyed a sign given by his keeper. 
Lions have been paraded in royal and imperial processions in 
India and other parts of Asia, but they are always perfectly 



238 



THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 



docile, and so well fed that they have no disposition to make a 
dinner off their distinguished entertainer. 

'* The festival of the Tartars corresponds to the Chinese New 
Year," said Fred, in explanation of the custom at Kublai's court. 
'* The story of the Khan's liberality," he continued, '' is some- 
what reduced in splendor when we bear in mind Marco's account 
of the presents that are offered to his Majesty, and which 
probably more than cover the cost of what he gives away to his 
followers. Orientals generally expect a return for their gifts to 

the full amount of their 
value, so that they really 
lose nothing by the trans- 
action ; it is highly prob- 
able that Kublai had an 
eye to business, as we read 
that the amount of the 
gifts was settled by ' pre- 
scription or orders.' And 
it is not unknown in our 
day and among us," he 
continued, with a smile, 
*' that sometimes the mak- 
er of a present is disap- 
pointed if he receives 
nothing in return, or 
somethinof far below the 
value of his gift." 

Fred's smile was re- 
peated on the faces of his 
listeners, or at all events 
on those of the older heads among them. One of the youths 
remarked that the Khan's followers were well provided with 
clothing, and each must have needed a Saratoga trunk to hold his 
possessions. ''What a pity," he continued, ''that Marco did not 
tell us how all this large stock of garments was carried about." 




A Chair of State. 



THE MYSTIC NUMBER NINE. ^39 

Fred explained that it was believed an error had crept into 
some of the manuscripts of Polo's narrative, and that we should 
read three instead of thirteen. According to the Mongol 
histories it was the custom to hold three great festivals in a year, 
and raiment was distributed on each of those occasions. These 
festivals were New Year's Day or the White Feast, the Khan's 
Birthday, and the Feast of the Herds. Another writer mentions 
four festivals in the year, and Polo is the only one who has men- 
tioned thirteen. 

'' The first month of the year," he continued, '' is called by 
the Mongols Chaghaii Sara or ' The White Month,' and the 
wearing of white clothing on that day is purely a Mongol 
custom. With the Chinese, white is the color for mourning, and 
after the Mongols had been expelled from China it was ordered 
that no one should appear in white at any of the court festivals. 

'' We have already seen the preference for odd numbers 
among the Chinese," said Fred, after a slight pause, ''and we 
now have a suggestion of the importance of the number nine. 
It has been held in many countries and ages to have mystic 
value, which arises doubtless from its well-known peculiarities. 
In the case of the Khan it was of especial value, as the number 
multiplied by itself made a good figure when horses or other 
valuable things were to be enumerated. It still holds high rank 
in parts of the East. In speaking of the marriage customs in 
Central Asia, Vambery says the question is how many times 
nine sheep, cows, camels, or horses the father is to receive for 
giving up his daughter. 

'' I am sorry to say there are now no elephants at the court 
of Peking, though one was kept there until a few years ago. 
And I am afraid it would have required liberal enumeration to 
carry the herd of Kublai up to five thousand, as Marco repre- 
sents it to have been. 

'' The custom of bowing before the emperor on festivals is 
as old as royalty itself, and prevails to-day, so that there is 
nothing remarkable in Polo's account of the ceremonies at 



240 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

Kublai's court. Worshipping the tablets is a Chinese custom 
which has descended to our day, and was probably adopted by 
Kublai soon after he ascended the throne." 

Fred took his seat, and Frank rose to read ; but the president 
looked at the clock and suggested an adjournment, as it was so 
near the usual hour of closing that it was not worth their while 
to begin anew. Fred approved the suggestion, especially as he 
desired further time to arrange his notes. Frank was by no 
means desirous to read any more until the next evening, and it 
was speedily agreed to close the exercises at once. 



CHAPTER XII. 

Kublai Khan's Hunting Expeditions — Chinese Game Laws in the Twelfth Century — Imperial 
Sport on a Grand Scale — Further Description of Cambaluc — How Kublai Made Money 
of the Bark of Trees — Shrewd Methods of Business — A Chinese Bank-Note of the Ming 
Dynasty. 

" We have seen the Khan at home," said Frank, when the 
Society assembled for a continuation of the story. ''We 
will now see what he does on his hunting excursions," and 
with this preliminary hint of what was coming he resumed 
the narrative where it had been interrupted on the previous 
evening. 

HOW THE GREAT KAAN ENJOINETH HIS PEOPLE TO SUPPLY HIM 

WITH GAME. 
The three months of December, January, and February, during which 
the Emperor resides at his Capital City, are assigned for hunting and 
fowling, to the extent of some forty days' journey round the city ; and it 
is ordained that the larger game taken be sent to the Court. To be 
more particular: of all the larger beasts of the chase, such as boars, 
roebucks, bucks, stags, lions, bears, &c., the greater part of what is taken 
has to be sent, and feathered game likewise. The animals are dressed 
and despatched to the Court on carts. This is done by all the people 
within twenty or thirty days' journey, and the quantity so despatched is 
immense. Those at a greater distance cannot send the game, but 
they have to send the skins after tanning them, and these are employed 
in the making of equipments for the Emperor's army. 

OF THE LIONS AND LEOPARDS AND WOLVES THAT THE KAAN KEEPS 

FOR THE CHASE. 
The Emperor hath numbers of leopards trained to the chase, and 
hath also a great many lynxes taught in like manner to catch game, and 

241 



242 



THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO, 



which afford excellent sport. He hath also several great Lions, bigger 
than those of Babylonia, beasts whose skins are colored in the most 
beautiful way, being striped all along the sides with black, red, and white. 
These are trained to catch boars and wild cattle, bears, wild asses, stags, 
and other great or fierce beasts. And 't is a rare sight, I can tell you, to 
see those Lions giving chase to such beasts as I have mentioned ! When 
they are to be so employed the Lions are taken out in a covered 
cart, and every Lion has a little doggie with him. They are obliged 
to approach the game against the wind, otherwise the animals would 
scent the approach of the Lion and be off. 

There are also a great number of eagles, all broken to catch wolves, 
foxes, deer, and wild-goats, and they do catch them in great num- 
bers. But those especially that are trained to wolf-catching are very 
large and powerful birds, and no wolf is able to get away from 
them. 

CONCERNING THE TWO BROTHERS WHO HAVE CHARGE OF THE KAAN'S 

HOUNDS. 

The Emperor hath two Barons who are own brothers, one called 
Baian, and the other Mingan ; and these two are styled Chinuchi (or 

Cimichi), which is as much as to say, " The 
Keepers of the Mastiff Dogs." Each of 
these brothers hath 10,000 men under his 
orders ; each body of 10,000 being dressed 
alike, the one in red and the other in 
blue, and whenever they accompany the 
Lord to the chase, they wear this livery, 
in order to be recognized. Out of each 
body of 10,000 there are 2000 men who are each in charge of one 
or more great mastiffs, so that the whole number of these is very 
large. And when the Prince goes a-hunting, one of those Barons, 
with his 10,000 men and something like 5000 dogs, goes towards 
the right, whilst the other goes towards the left with his party in 
like manner. They move along, all abreast of one another, so that the 
whole line extends over a full day's journey, and no animal can escape 




A Hunting Leopard. 



A HUNTING EXPEDITION, 



243 



them. Truly it is a glorious sight to see the working of the dogs and the 
huntsmen on such an occasion ! And as the Lord rides a-fowling across 
the plains, you will see these big hounds coming tearing up, one pack 
after a bear, another pack after a stag, or some other beast, as it 
may hap, and running the game down now on this side and now on 
that, so that it is really a most delightful sport and spectacle. 

The Two Brothers I have mentioned are bound by the tenure of their 
office to supply the Kaan's Court from October to the end of March with 




Starting for a Hunt. 

1000 head of game daily, whether of beasts or birds, and not counting 
quails ; and also with fish to the best of their ability, allowing fish enough 
for three persons to reckon as equal to one head of game. 

Now I have told you of the Masters of the Hounds and all about 
them, and next will I tell you how the Lord goes off on an expedition for 
the space of three months. 

HOW THE EMPEROR GOES ON A HUNTING EXPEDITION. 

After he has stopped at his capital city those three months that I 
mentioned, to wit, December, January, February, he starts off on the ist 



244 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



day of March, and travels southward toward the Ocean Sea, a journey of 
two days. He takes with him full 10,000 falconers, and some 500 gerfal- 
cons besides peregrines, sakers, and other hawks in great numbers ; and 
goshawks also to fly at the water-fowl. But do not suppose that he keeps 
all these together by him ; they are distributed about, hither and thither, 
one hundred together, or two hundred at the utmost, as he thinks proper. 
But they are always fowling as they advance, and the most part of the 
quarry taken is carried to the Emperor. And let me tell you when he 
goes thus a-fowling with his gerfalcons and other kawks, he is attended 
by full 10,000 men, who are disposed in couples; and these are called 

Toscaol, which is as 
much as to say, 
"Watchers." And 
the name describes 
their business. They 
are posted from spot 
to spot, always in 
couples, and thus 
they cover a great 
deal of ground! 
Every man of them 
is provided with a 

whistle and a hood, 

Eagle Killins: a Deer. a. i^ i_ 1 j. 

^ ^ SO as to be able to 

call in a hawk and hold it in hand. And when the Emperor makes a cast, 

there is no need that he follow it up, for those men I speak of keep so 

good a look-out that they never lose sight of the birds, and if these have 

need of help they are ready to render it. 

All the Emperor's hawks, and those of the Barons as well, have a little 

label attached to the leg to mark them, on which is written the names of 

the owner and the keeper of the bird. And in this way the hawk, when 

caught, is at once identified and handed over to its owner. But if not, 

the bird is carried to a certain Baron who is styled the Bularguchi, which 

is as much as to say, " The Keeper of Lost Property." And I tell you 

that whatever may be found without a known owner, whether it be a 




THE ROYAL ROAD, 



245 



horse, or a sword, or a hawk, or what not, it is carried to that Baron 
straightway, and he takes charge of it. And if the finder neglects to 
carry his trover to the Baron, the latter punishes him. Likewise the 
loser of any article goes to the Baron, and if the thing be in his hands it 
is immediately given up to the owner. Moreover, the said Baron always 
pitches on the highest spot of the camp, with his banner displayed, in 
order that those who have lost or found any thing may have no difHculty 
in finding their way to him. Thus nothing can be lost but it shall be 
incontinently found and restored. 




Riding in a Camel Litter, 

And so the Emperor follows this road that I have mentioned, leading 
along in the vicinity of the Ocean Sea (which is within two days* journey 
of his capital city Cambaluc), and as he goes there is many a fine sight to 
be seen, and plenty of the very best entertainment in hawking; in fact, 
there is no sport in the world to equal it ! 

The Emperor himself is carried upon four elephants in a fine chamber 
made of timber, lined inside with plates of beaten gold, and outside with 



246 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

lions' skins, for he always travels in this way on his fowling expeditions, 
because he is troubled with gout. He always keeps beside him a dozen 
of his choicest gerfalcons, and is attended by several of his Barons who 
ride on horseback alongside. And sometimes, as they may be going 
along, and the Emperor from his chamber is holding discourse with the 
Barons, one of the latter shall exclaim : ^' Sire ! Look out for Cranes ! " 
Then the Emperor instantly has the top of his chamber thrown open, and 
having marked the cranes he casts one of his gerfalcons, whichever he 
pleases; and often the quarry is struck within his view, so that he has 
the most exquisite sport and diversion there, as he sits in his chamber or 
lies on his bed ; and all the Barons with him get the enjoyment of it like- 
wise ! So it is not without reason I tell you that I do not believe there 
ever existed in the world, or ever will exist, a man with such sport and 
enjoyment as he has, or with such rare opportunities. 

And when he has travelled till he reaches a place called Cachar 
MODUN, there he finds his tents pitched, with the tents of his Sons, and 
his Barons, and those of his Ladies and theirs, so that there shall be full 
10,000 tents in all, and all fine and rich ones. And I will tell you how 
his own quarters are disposed. The tent in which he holds his courts is 
large enough to give cover easily to a thousand souls. It is pitched with 
its door to the south, and the Barons and Knights remain in waiting in 
it, whilst the Lord abides in another close to it on the west side. When 
he wishes to speak with any one he causes the person to be summoned 
to that other tent. Immediately behind the great tent there is a fine 
large chamber where the Lord sleeps ; and there are also many other 
tents and chambers, but they are not in contact with the Great Tent as 
these are. The two audience-tents and the sleeping-chamber are con- 
structed in this way. Each of the audience-tents has three poles, which 
are of spice-wood, and are most artfully covered with lions' skins, striped 
with black and white and red, so that they do not suffer from any 
weather. All three apartments are also covered outside with similar skins 
of striped lions, a substance that lasts for ever. And inside they are all 
lined with ermine and sable, these two being the finest and most costly 
furs in existence. For a robe of sable, large enough to line a mantle, is 
worth 2000 bezants of gold, or 1000 at least, and this kind of skin is 



CAMP OF KUBLAI KHAN. 



247 



called by the Tartars '' The King of Furs." The beast itself is about the 
size of a marten. These two furs of which I speak are applied and inlaid 
so exquisitely, that it is really something worth seeing. All the tent- 
ropes are of silk. And in short I may say that those tents, to wit the 
two audience-halls and the sleeping-chamber, are so costly that it is not 
every king could pay for them. 

Round about these tents are others, also fine ones and beautifully 
pitched, in which are the Emperor's ladies, and the ladies of the other 
princes and officers. And then there are the tents for the hawks and 
their keepers, so that altogether the number of tents there on the plain is 
something wonderful. To see the many people that are thronging to 
and fro on every side and every day there, you would take the camp for 
a good big city. For 
you must reckon the 
Leeches, and the As- 
trologers, and the Fal- 
coners, and all the oth- 
er attendants on so 
great a company ; and 
add that every-body 
there has his whole 
family with him, for 
such is their custom. 

The Lord remains encamped there until the spring, and all that time 
he does nothing but go hawking round about among the canebrakes 
along the lakes and rivers that abound in that region, and across fine 
plains on which are plenty of cranes and swans, and all sorts of other 
fowl. The other gentry of the camp also are never done with hunting 
and hawking, and every day they bring home great store of venison and 
feathered game of all sorts. Indeed, without having witnessed it, you 
would never believe what quantities of game are taken, and what marvel- 
lous sport and diversion they all have whilst they are in camp there. 

There is another thing I should mention ; to wit, that for twenty 
days' journey round the spot nobody is allowed, be he who he may, to 
keep hawks or hounds, though anywhere else whosoever list may keep 




The Emperor's Hunting Tents. 



248 



THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 



them. And furthermore, throughout all the Emperor's territories, no- 
body, however audacious, dares to hunt any of these four animals, to 
wit, hare, stag, buck, and roe, from the month of March to the month of 
October. Anybody who should do so would rue it bitterly. But those 
people are so obedient to their Lord's commands, that even if a man 
were to find one of those animals asleep by the roadside he would not 
touch it for the world ? And thus the game multiplies at such a rate 
that the whole country swarms with it, and the Emperor gets as much as 




Archway Erected under the Mongol Dynasty. 

he could desire. Beyond the term I have mentioned, however, to wit, 
that from March to October, everybody may take these animals as he 
list. 

After the Emperor has tarried in that place, enjoying his sport as I 
have related, from March to the middle of May, he moves with all his 
people, and returns straight to his capital city of Cambaluc (which is also 
the capital of Cathay as you have been told), but all the while continuing 
to take his diversion in hunting and hawking as he goes along. 



HOW THE EMPEROR PASSES HIS TIME. 249 

REHEARSAL OF THE WAY THE YEAR OF THE GREAT KAAN IS 

DISTRIBUTED. 

On arriving at his capital of Cambaluc, he stays in his palace three 
days and no more ; during which time he has great court entertainments 
and rejoicings. He then quits his palace at Cambaluc, and proceeds to 
that city which he has built, as I told you before, and which is called 
Chandu, where he has that grand park and palace of cane, and where he 
keeps his gerfalcons in mew. There he spends the summer, to escape 
the heat, for the situation is a very cool one. After stopping there from 
the beginning of May to the 28th of August, he takes his departure (that 
is the time when they sprinkle the white mares' milk as I told you), and 
returns to his capital Cambaluc. There he stops, as I have told you also, 
the month of September, to keep his Birthday Feast, and also through- 
out October, November, December, January, and February, in which last 
month he keeps the grand feast of the New Year, which they call the 
White Feast, as you have heard already with all particulars. He then 
sets out on his march towards the Ocean Sea, hunting and hawking, and 
continues out from the beginning of March to the middle of May, and 
then comes back for three days only to the capital, during which he 
makes merry, and holds a great court and grand entertainments. In 
truth, 't is something astonishing, the magnificence displayed by the Em- 
peror in those three days, and then he starts off again as you know. 

Thus his whole year is distributed in the following manner : six 
months at his chief palace in the royal city of Cambaluc, to wit, Septem- 
ber, October, November, December, January, February. 

Then on the great hunting expedition towards the sea, March, April, 
May; 

Then back to his palace at Cambaluc for three days ; 

Then off to the city of Chandu which he has built, and where the 
Cane Palace is, where he stays June, July, August ; 

Then back again to his capital city of Cambaluc. 

So thus the whole year is spent ; six months at the capital, three 
months in hunting, and three months at the Cane Palace to avoid the 
heat. And in this way he passes his time with the greatest enjoyment ; 



250 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



not to mention occasional journeys in this or that direction at his own 
pleasure. 

Here Frank paused and sat down. Fred rose immediately, 
and was evidently well prepared for his share of the evening's 
entertainment. 

'' Marco has given us," said he, '' an excellent account of the 
customs of royal hunters before the invention of gunpowder. 
Always bearing in mind that he is evidently somewhat free with 




Wild Asses in the Mongolian Desert. 

figures, we may be confident that the picture of the Khan's 
hunting excursions is a good one. In Polo's time hawking was 
a fashionable sport throughout Europe, and if his memory failed 
him at any point, he had only to revive in his mind the practices 
of European courts. The training of the hawks and hounds, 
the manner of letting loose the leopards, the duties of the 
watchers and beaters, and the manner of driving in the game, 
are all accurately described. 



HUNTING WITH THE CHEETAH. 251 

" It is evident that when he speaks of Hons used for hunting 
he refers to the cheetah, or hunting-leopards ; in fact his portrait 
of the animal leaves no great room for doubt on this point, 
though he may have had the tiger in his mind. The cheetah is 
still kept for hunting purposes by native princes in India, and 
also in Persia. Though belonging to the leopard family, it is 
quite unlike the true leopard, as its limbs are longer and more 
lanky, and its claws are not retractile, as in most members of the 
feline race. 

'' The cheetah had been used in Europe before Polo's time, 
and was introduced into France about the fifteenth century. 
India is the country where he has been most extensively em- 
ployed, and we read that the Emperor Akbar had a thousand 
cheetahs in his hunting establishment. Perhaps Dr. Allen will 
tell us about his experience with these animals, and I 'm sure we 
shall all be pleased to hear it." 

Thus appealed to, the doctor rose and was greeted with the 
signs of delight with which his words were always welcomed. 

'* When I was in India," said he, '' I was invited by one of 
the native princes of Baroda to go on a hunting excursion. We 
started very early in the morning, and I was surprised to observe 
that neither the prince nor myself was provided with a gun — 
usually considered a necessary weapon of the chase. I said 
nothing, however, but waited developments. 

"■ There were ten or twelve of us on horseback, and perhaps 
twenty attendants on foot. Four men carried a mysterious-look- 
ing box by means of a pole resting on their shoulders, and I ob- 
served that it was handled with great care. We kept on for two 
or three miles, and then the scouts who were out in front made a 
signal for us to stop. 

'' We stopped and the box was brought forward and opened. 
Inside there lay a cheetah with a skin so sleek that it fairly glis- 
tened in the sunlight ; he was fastened by a small chain, and had 
a hood of leather over his eyes. 

** Half a dozen deer were in sight three or four hundred yards 



2^2 



THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO, 



away. The cheetah was taken from his box, and led a short dis- 
tance with his head in the direction of the deer. Then the hood 
was taken from his eyes and the chain from his neck. 

'' In a few moments he caught sight of the deer. He imme- 
diately crouched to the ground, and crept along exactly as a 
cat creeps for a mouse or bird. Taking advantage of every 
bush and every inequality of the earth, he continued his approach 
in this manner until the deer saw him and started to run away. 
Then in three or four enormous bounds he was on the back of 




An Asiatic Hunting Scene. 

one of them and fixed his teeth in its neck. The mounted attend- 
ants went forward at a gallop, and with some difficulty took the 
cheetah from his prey. He was rewarded with a piece of meat, 
the hood and chain were replaced, and the animal was restored to 
his box. Then we went on again as before, and when we found 
another group of deer the performance was repeated. The deer 
were not at all alarmed at the presence of our party, as they are 
accustomed to see men on foot or mounted in the fields and for- 



HUNTING WITH THE EAGLE. 253 

ests daily. It was only when they saw the cheetah that they 
became frightened, and then it was too late to escape. Once the 
cheetah failed to catch his intended prey, and he came sneaking 
back to the hunters with a decided expression of shame. He 
always seized on the largest of the bucks, and I was told that he 
never attacked does or fawns unless there were no bucks in a 
herd. Sometimes he gets the worst of it, and the horns of the 
bucks prove more than a match for his claws. 

"■ On another occasion our party was mounted in the common 
carts of the country, instead of going on horseback. The chee- 
tah was carried on one of the carts, and let loose as before when 
quite near the game. Antelopes and deer are so accustomed to 
the sight of carts that they allow them to come very close to 
where they are feeding ; they are not hunted often, and therefore 
do not appreciate the wiles of the sportsmen in time to escape 
from danger. 

"■ While on the subject, I will tell you about hunting with the 
eagle, as I once took part in an affair of this kind. The falcon 
is used for feathered game and the eagle for quadrupeds ; the 
former is let off when ducks and similar birds are to be taken, 
and the latter for deer, foxes, wolves, and the like. No dogs are 
taken along in hunting with eagles, as they would be sure to be 
killed ; but they sometimes accompany the hunters when falcons 
only are used. 

** On the occasion I mention the eagle was mounted on a perch 
to which he was chained, and his head was covered with a hood. 
We reached the hunting ground and stirred up two or three 
hyenas, which our leaders did not consider worth attacking. 
After a time several deer were seen a quarter of a mile away, and 
the keeper of the eagle was ordered to let him loose. His chain 
was unfastened and the hood removed ; as soon as this was done 
he rose to a great height and wheeled around in a circle. He 
seemed to have missed the game, and I wondered what he 
would do. 

'' Suddenly he flapped his wings three or four times, and then 



254 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



swept as straight as an arrow towards one of the deer. We 
were all well mounted, and rode as fast as we could towards the 
animal, but he was dead before we reached him. The eagle 
would not let go of him until his head had been covered with the 
hood, when he submitted at once." 

As the doctor paused, one of the youths near him asked if 
game was as abundant in the neighborhood of Peking as in 
Polo's time. 




Fight between Eagles and Wolves. 

*' There is a fair amount of game in Mongolia," was the reply, 
" but the hunters would have no such good luck to-day as in the 
period when Kublai Khan was on the throne. You must remem- 
ber that Polo says the game was carefully preserved in the Khan's 
hunting ground, and no one could keep hawks or hounds there. 
We are not to suppose that it was close to the city, but in the 



PUNISHMENT FOR LA W-BREAKERS. 



255 



country in the direction of the ocean. It is a hundred miles from 
Peking to the nearest point where the ocean can be reached, and 
it is probable that the imperial hunting ground was north of the 
Great Wall and eastward toward the Gulf of Pechili. The regu- 
lations of the chase in Kublai's time were much like those of modern 
days. There was a close season for certain kinds of game, and 
the violators of the law were severely punished ; we are not told 
what the penalty was for hunting in the royal preserves, but may 
be sure it was very severe. According to the custom of the time 
it was hardly any thing less than decapitation for the first offence. 
The same individual was not likely to be arrested or punished 
more than once." 




Interior of an Oriental Caravansary. 

As the doctor sat down Fred whispered to Frank that he had 
no more comments to offer. Thereupon Frank resumed the nar- 
ration. 



CONCERNING THE CITY OF CAMBALUC, AND ITS GREAT TRAFFIC AND 

POPULATION. 

You must know that the city of Cambaluc hath such a multitude of 
houses, and such a vast population inside the walls and outside, that it 



256 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

seems quite past all possibility. There is a suburb outside each of the 
gates, which are twelve in number ; and these suburbs are so great that 
they contain more people than the city itself, for the suburb of one gate 
spreads in width till it meets the suburb of the next, whilst they extend 
in length some three or four miles. In those suburbs lodge the foreign 
merchants and travellers, of whom there are always great numbers who 
have come to bring presents to the Emperor, or to sell articles at Court, 
or because the city affords so good a mart to attract traders. There are 
in each of the suburbs, to a distance of a mile from the city, numerous 
fine hostelries for the lodgment of merchants from different parts of the 
world, and a special hostelry is assigned to each description of people, as 
if we should say there is one for the Lombards, another for the Germans, 
and a third for the Frenchmen. And thus there are as many good houses 
outside of the city as inside, without counting those that belong to the 
great lords and barons, which are very numerous. 

You must know that it is forbidden to bury any dead body inside the 
city. If the body be that of an Idolater it is carried out beyond the city 
and suburbs to a remote place assigned for the purpose, to be burnt. 
And if it be of one belonging to a religion the custom of which is to bury, 
such as the Christian, the Saracen, or what not, it is also carried out 
beyond the suburbs to a distant place assigned for the purpose. And 
thus the city is preserved in a better and more healthy state. 

Guards patrol the city every night in parties of thirty or forty, looking 
out for any persons who may be abroad at unseasonable hours, i. e., after 
the great bell hath stricken thrice. If they find any such person he is im- 
mediately taken to prison, and examined next morning by the proper 
officers. If these find him guilty of any misdemeanor, they order him a 
proportionate beating with the stick. Under this punishment people 
sometimes die ; but they adopt it in order to eschew bloodshed ; for their 
Bacsis say that it is an evil thing to shed man's blood. 

To this city also are brought articles of greater cost and rarity, and in 
greater abundance of all kinds, than to any other city in the world. For 
people of every description, and from every region, bring things (including 
all the costly wares of India, as well as the fine and precious goods of 
Cathay itself with its provinces), some for the sovereign, some for the court. 



TRADE OF THE GREAT CITY. 257 

some for the city which is so great, some for the crowds of Barons and 
Knights, some for the great hosts of the Emperor which are quartered 
round about ; and thus between court and city the quantity brought in is 
endless. 

As a sample, I tell you, no day in the year passes that there do not 
enter the city 1000 cart-loads of silk alone, from which are made quanti- 
ties of cloth of silk and gold, and of other goods. And this is not to be 
wondered at ; for in all the countries round About there is no flax, so that 
every thing has to be made of silk. It is true, indeed, that in some parts 
of the country there is cotton and hemp, but not sufficient for their 
wants. This, however, is not of much consequence, because silk is so 
abundant and cheap, and is a more valuable substance than either flax or 
cotton. 

Round about this great city of Cambaluc there are some 200 other 
cities at various distances, from which traders come to sell their goods 
and buy others for their lords ; and all find means to make their sales and 
purchases, so that the traffic of the city is passing great. 

'' The next chapter," said Frank, '' is a dreary account of the 
treason of one of the Khan's officials, and its discovery and 
punishment. Unless some one particularly desires to hear it, I 
will go on to the next. 

In compliance with the old adage, silence gave assent and 
Frank proceeded. 

HOW THE GREAT KAAN CAUSETH THE BARK OF TREES, MADE INTO 
SOMETHING LIKE PAPER, TO PASS FOR MONEY OVER ALL HIS 
COUNTRY. 

Now that I have told you in detail of the splendour of this City of 
the Emperor's, I shall proceed to tell you of the Mint which he hath in 
the same city, in the which he hath his money coined and struck, as I 
shall relate to you. And in doing so I shall make manifest to you how 
it is that the Great Lord may well be able to accomplish even much 
more than I have told you, or am going to tell you, in this Book. For, 
tell it how I might, you never would be satisfied that I was keeping 
within truth and reason ! 



258 



THE TRA VELS OF I.IARCO POLO. 



^ 



^ 



The Emperor's Mint then is in this same. City of Cambaluc, and the 
way it is wrought is such that you might say he hath the Secret of 
Alchemy in perfection, and you would be right ! For he makes his 
money after this fashion. 

He makes them take the bark of a certain tree, in fact of the Mul- 
berry Tree, the leaves of which are the food of the silkworms, — these 
trees being so numerous that whole districts are full of them. What they 
take is a certain fine white bast or skin which lies between the wood of 

the tree and the thick outer 
bark, and this they make into 
something resembling sheets 
of paper, but black. When 
v^^ / 1^^ r/f^"^ ^7/ \ { 1 viX these sheets have been pre- 
i^^ \\ I \Wx^ \ f ul ' /I I I '^-^ pared they are cut up into 

pieces of different sizes. The 

smallest of these sizesisworth 

a half tornesel ; the next, a 

^froP ^^^J^^^'^rtfm^ ^^^^v/mMj TP little larger, one tornesel ; 

y^^^^MwiWimf^^firwM ^^^ ^^^' ^ little larger still, is 

Mr ^^^^^^yiw^^^l^^^^ "^^ worth half a silver groat of 

Venice ; another, a whole 
groat ; others yet, two groats, 
five groats, and ten groats. 
There is also a kind worth 
one Bezant of gold, and 
others of three Bezants, 
and so up to ten. All these 
pieces of paper are issued with as much solemnity and authority 
as if they were of pure gold or silver ; and on every piece a variety 
of ofBcials, whose duty it is, have to write their names, and to put 
their seals. And when all is prepared duly, the chief ofificer deputed 
by the Kaan smears the seal entrusted to him with vermilion, and 
impresses it on the paper, so that the form of the Seal remains 
printed upon it in red ; the Money is then authentic. Any one forging it 
would be punished with death. And the Kaan causes every year to be 




f ^i^<t 



Japanese God of Wealth. 



CHINESE PAPER MONEY. 259 

made such a vast quantity of this money, which costs him nothing, that 
it must equal in amount all the treasure in the world. 

With these pieces of paper, made as I have described, he causes all 
payments on his own accourtt to be made ; and he makes them to pass 
current universally over all his kingdoms and provinces and territories, 
and whithersoever his power and sovereignty extends. And nobody, 
however important he may think himself, dares to refuse them on pain 
of death. And indeed everybody takes them readily, for wheresoever a 
person may go throughout the great Kaan's dominions he shall find these 
pieces of paper current, and shall be able to transact all sales and pur- 
chases of goods by means of them just as well as if they were coins of 
pure gold. And all the wiiile they are so light that ten bezants' worth 
does not weigh one golden bezant. 

Furthermore, all merchants arriving from India or other countries, 
and bringing with them gold or silver or gems and pearls, are prohibited 
from selling to any one but the Emperor. He has twelve experts chosen 
for this business, men of shrewdness and experience in such affairs ; these 
appraise the articles, and the Emperor then pays a liberal price for them 
in those pieces of paper. The merchants accept his price readily, for in 
the first place they would not get so good an one from anybody else, and 
secondly they are paid without any delay. And with this paper-money 
they can buy what they like anywhere over the Empire, whilst it is also 
vastly lighter to carry about on their journeys. And it is a truth that 
the merchants will several times in the year bring wares to the amount of 
400,000 bezants, and the Grand Sire pays for all in that paper. So he 
buys such a quantity of those precious things every year that his treasure 
is endless, whilst all the time the money he pays away costs him nothing 
at all. Moreover, several times in the year proclamation is made through 
the city that any one who may have gold or silver or gems or pearls, by 
taking them to the Mint, shall get a handsome price for them. And the 
owners are glad to do this, because they would find no other purchaser 
give so large a price. Thus the quantity they bring in is marvellous, 
though those who do not choose to do so may let it alone. Still, in 
this way, nearly all the valuables in the country come into the Kaan's 
possession. 



26o 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



When any of those pieces of paper are spoilt — not that they are 
so very flimsy neither — the owner carries them to the Mint, and by pay- 
ing three per cent, on the value he gets new pieces in exchange. And if 
any Baron, or any one else soever, hath need of gold or silver or gems or 
pearls, in order to make plate, or girdles, or the like, he goes to the Mint 
and buys as much as he list, paying in this paper-money. 



making 
the 



'' The account of the suburbs of- Cambaluc," said Fred, '' will 
answer very well for those of Peking as it exists to-day. In 
describing the currency of Kublai Khan Marco indulges in 
the only joke that is to be found in his book, where he says 

the emperor has the 
secret of alchemy to 
perfection in 
his money from 
bark of trees." 

Some one in- the au- 
dience asked if Kublai 
was the inventor of pa- 
per-money. 

'' By no means," re- 
sponded Fred, *' though 

Chinese Scales for Weighing Silver. he is ofteU Credited 

with it. Paper currency was issued in China in the beginning of 
the ninth century, and the histories say that as early as 1160 the 
empire was filled with paper that was greatly depreciated in 
value owing to the enormous issue. The dynasty that preceded 
Kublai's continued the practice, and the Mongols themselves 
issued paper-money long before they conquered China. Colonel 
Yule says * Kublai made such an issue in the first year of his 
reign (1260), and continued to issue notes copiously till the end. 
In 1287 he put out a complete new currency, one note of 
which was to exchange against Jive^ oi the previous series of 
equal nominal value ! In both issues the paper-money was, in 
ofificlal valuation, only equivalent to half its nominal value in 




ANCIENT PAPER CURRENCY. 261 

silver.' Kublai's successors followed his example, and the Ming 
dynasty improved on his system, as they made payments only in 
their notes but exacted hard cash from their people ! " 

" Modern governments have done the same thing," remarked 
the doctor. '' I think it is in the knowledge of many here 
present that the Government of the United States has settled 
its obligations in currency and required duties at the custom- 
house to be paid in gold. Italy has done likewise, and so have 
Austria and Spain." 

'' From 1455 until the present century China had no govern- 
ment currency of paper," continued Fred. '* In very recent times 
it has revived the practices of the thirteenth century, and with 
disastrous effects. Japan had a paper currency in the fourteenth 
century, and Persia and India tried the experiment about the 
same time. According to the histories there was a currency, not 
of paper but of stamped leather, issued by the emperor Frederic 
II., at the siege of Faenza in 1241, a few years before the birth 
of our hero. The curious thing about it is that it was all 
redeemed in solid gold. 

" So much for Kublai Khan's banking system, which is worth 
reading very carefully. That Kublai was an excellent man of 
business is well shown by Marco's statement that all the 
merchants bringing gold, silver, pearls, and precious stones 
from other countries were prohibited from selling to any one 
but the emperor. Marco naively says that all this treasure cost 
him nothing, as he paid for it in paper of his own making. And 
what an excellent opportunity his twelve experts had to make a 
good living out of their situations ! 

'' Unfortunately no specimens of Kublai's notes have come 
down to us, but some of the notes of the Ming dynasty which 
succeeded the Mongols are still in existence. I am about to pro- 
pose an adjournment for the evening and after the meeting 
is over I will show you a picture of one of these notes, which was 
quite probably a good representation of some of the currency of 
the Great Kublai." 



262 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

The meeting adjourned very promptly and Fred was as good 
as his promise. The note was carefully examined by all present, 
and justly regarded as a great curiosity. It was an oblong sheet 
so dark in color as to justify Marco's statement that it was 
black. Chinese characters were printed on the central portion 
of the note, and there were two seals in red, which were doubt- 
less the official stamps to indicate the genuineness of the issue. 
A comparison of the sheet with a specimen of the work of 
the American Bank-Note Company which the doctor drew from 
his pocket was an excellent illustration of the progress that 
has been made In the art of printing money. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Kublai's Form of Government — His Council of State — Posting System Established by the Great 
Khan — Coal Mines in China — Astrology and Religion. 

'* We will now have a glance at Kublai's system of govern- 
ment," said Frank at the opening of the next session of the 
Society. " His Council of State, consisting of twelve barons, 
seems to have been very much like the ministry of the modern 
governments of Europe, or the Cabinet of the President of the 
United States. Twelve seems to have been a favorite number 
with Oriental governments, as we find that the Khan of the 
Turks in the early centuries of the Christian era had a Council 
of Twelve Grandees who advised him relative to public affairs. 
The Imperial Council of Twelve was retained subsequent to 
Polo's time, but at present the number has been changed." 

Having made this explanation, Frank opened the book and 
read : 

CONCERNING THE TWELVE BARONS WHO ARE SET OVER ALL THE 
AFFAIRS OF THE GREAT KAAN. 

You must know that the Great Kaan hath chosen twelve great Barons 
to whom he hath committed all the necessary affairs of thirty-four great 
provinces ; and now I will tell you particulars about them and their 
establishments. 

You must know that these twelve Barons reside altogether in a very 
rich and handsome palace, which is inside the city of Cambaluc, and con- 
sists of a variety of edifices, with many suites of apartments. To every 
province is assigned a judge and several clerks, and all reside in this 
palace, where each has his separate quarters. These judges and clerks 
administer all the affairs of the provinces to which they are attached, 

263 



264 



THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO, 



under the direction of the twelve Barons. Howbeit, when an affair is of 
very great importance, the twelve Barons lay it before the Emperor, and 
he decides as he thinks best. But the power of those twelve Barons is 
so great that they choose the governors for all those 34 great provinces 
that I have mentioned, and only after they have chosen do they inform 
the Emperor of their choice. This he confirms, and grants to the person 
nominated a tablet of gold such as is appropriate to the rank of his 
government. 

Those twelve Barons also have such authority that they can dispose 
of the movements of the forces, and send them whither, and in such 



^Hft»:' \:^fflf5*gS^*i 




Plain of Cambaluc ; the City in the Distance. From the Hills on the Northwest, 

strength as, they please. This is done indeed with the Emperor's cogni- 
zance, but still the orders are issued on their authority. They are styled 
Shieng, which is as much as to say '^ The Supreme Court," and the 
palace where they abide is also called Shieng. This body forms the 
highest authority at the Court of the Great Kaan ; and indeed they can 
favor and advance whom they will. I will not now name the 34 prov- 
inces to you, because they will be spoken of in detail in the course of 
this Book. 



THE EMPEROR'S MESSENGERS. 



265 



HOW THE KAAN S POSTS AND RUNNERS ARE SPED THROUGH MANY 

LANDS AND PROVINCES. 

Now you must know that from this city of Cambaluc proceed many 
roads and highways leading to a variety of provinces, one to one prov- 
ince, another to another ; and each road receives the name of the province 
to which it leads ; and it is a very sensible plan. And the messengers of 
the Emperor in travelling from Cambaluc, be the road whichsoever they 
will, find at every twenty-five miles of the journey a station which they 
call Yamb, or, as we should say, the *' Horse-Post-House." And at each 
of those stations used by the messen- 
gers there is a large and handsome 
building for them to put up at, in which 
they find all the rooms furnished with 
fine beds and all other necessary articles 
in rich silk, and where they are provided 
with every thing they can want. ' If even 
a king were to arrive at one of these, 
he would find himself well lodged. 

At some of these stations, moreover, 
there shall be posted some 400 horses 
standing ready for the use of the mes- 
sengers ; at others there shall be 200, 
according to the requirements, and to 
what the Emperor has established in each case. At every 25 miles, as I 
said, or anyhow at every 30 miles, you find one of these stations, on all 
the principal highways leading to the different provincial governments ; 
and the same is the case throughout all the chief provinces subject to the 
Great Kaan. Even when the messengers have to pass through a roadless 
tract where neither house nor hostel exists, still there the station-houses 
have been established just the same, excepting that the intervals are 
somewhat greater, and the day's journey is fixed at 35 to 45 miles, instead 
of 25 to 30. But they are provided with horses and all the other necessa- 
ries just like those we have described, so that the Emperor's messengers, 
come they from what region they may, find every thing ready for them. 




A Japanese Runner. 



266 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

On all these posts taken together there are more than 300,000 horses 
kept up, specially for the use of the messengers. And the great 
buildings that I have mentioned are more than 10,000 in number, all 
richly furnished as I told you. The thing is on a scale so wonderful and 
costly that it is hard to bring one's self to describe it. 

You must know that by the Great Kaan's orders there has been estab- 
lished between those post-houses, at every interval of three miles, a 
little fort with some forty houses round about it, in which dwell the 
people who act as the Emperor's foot-runners. Every one of those run- 
ners wears a great wide belt, set all over with bells, so that as they run 
the three miles from post to post their bells are heard jingling a long way 
off. And thus on reaching the post the runner finds another man sim- 
ilarly equipt, and all ready to take his place, who instantly takes over 
whatsoever he has in charge, and with it receives a slip of paper from the 
clerk who is always at hand for the purpose ; and so the new man sets off 
and runs his three miles. At the next station he finds his relief ready in 
like manner; and so the post proceeds, with a change at every three 
miles. And in this way the Emperor, who has an immense number of 
these runners, receives despatches with news from places ten days' jour- 
ney off in one day and night ; or, if need be, news from a hundred days off 
in ten days and nights, and that is no small matter ! In fact, in the fruit 
season many a time fruit shall be gathered one morning at Cambaluc, and 
the evening of the next day it shall reach the Great Kaan at Chandu, a 
distance of ten days' journey. The clerk at each of the posts notes the 
time of each courier's arrival and departure ; and there are often other 
officers whose business it is to make monthly visitations of all the posts, 
and to punish those runners who have been slack in their work. The 
Emperor exempts these men from all tribute, and pays them besides. 

Moreover, there are also at those stations other men equipt similarly 
with girdles hung with bells, who are employed for expresses when there 
is a call for great haste in sending despatches to any governor of a prov- 
ince, or to give news when any Baron has revolted, or in other such 
emergencies ; and these men travel a good 200 or 250 miles in the day, 
and as much in the night. I '11 tell you how it stands. They take a 
horse from those at the station which are standing ready saddled, all fresh 



ORIENTAL COURIERS. 



267 



and in wind, and mount and go at full speed, as hard as they can ride in 
fact. And when those at the next post hear the bells, they get ready 
another horse and a man equipt in the same way, and he takes over the 
letter or whatever it be, and is off full-speed to the third station, where 
again a fresh horse is found all ready, and so the despatch speeds along 
from post to post, always at full gallop with regular change of horses. 
And the speed at which they go is marvellous. By night, however, they 
cannot go so fast as by day, because they have to be accompanied by 
footmen with torches, who could not keep up with them at full speed. 







Ready for the Road. 

Those men are highly prized ; and they could never do it did they 
not bind hard the stomach, chest, and head with strong bands. And 
each of them carries with him a gerfalcon tablet, in sign that he is bound 
on an urgent express ; so that if perchance his horse break down, or he 
meet with other mishap, whomsoever he may fall in with on the road, he 
is empowered to make him dismount and give up his horse. Nobody 
dares refuse in such a case ; so that the courier hath always a good fresh 
nag to carry him. 

Now all these numbers of post-horses cost the Emperor nothing at all ; 
and I will tell you the how and the why. Every city, or village, or ham- 



268 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO, 

let, that stands near one of those post-stations, has a fixed demand made 
on it for as many horses as it can supply, and these it must furnish to the 
post. And in this way are provided all the posts of the cities, as well as 
the towns and villages round about them ; only in uninhabited tracts 
the horses are furnished at the expense of the Emperor himself. 

Nor do the cities maintain the full number, say of 400 horses, always 
at their station, but month by month 200 shall be kept at the station, 
and the other 200 at grass, coming in their turn to relieve the first 200. 
And if there chance to be some river or lake to be passed by the runners 
and horse-posts, the neighboring cities are bound to keep three or four 
boats in constant readiness for the purpose. 

And now I will tell you of the great bounty exercised by the Emperor 
towards his people twice a year. 

HOW THE EMPEROR BESTOWS HELP ON HIS PEOPLE, WHEN THEY ARE 
AFFLICTED WITH DEARTH OR MURRAIN. 

Now you must know that the Emperor sends his messengers over all 
his Lands and Kingdoms and Provinces, to ascertain from his officers if 
the people are afifiicted by any dearth through unfavorable seasons, or 
storms, or locusts, or other like calamity ; and from those who have 
suffered in this way no taxes are exacted for that year ; nay more, he 
causes them to be supplied with corn of his own for food and seed. 
Now this is undoubtedly a great bounty on his part. And w^hen winter 
comes, he causes inquiry to be made as to those who have lost their 
cattle, whether by murrain or other mishap, and such persons not only 
go scot free, but get presents of^;mttle. And thus, as I tell you, the 
Lord every year helps and fosters Ine people subject to him. 

There is another trait of the Great Kaan I should tell you ; and that 
is, that if a chance shot from his bow strike any herd or flock, whether 
belonging to one person or to many, and however big the flock may be, 
he takes no tithe thereof for three years. Li like manner if the arrow 
strike a boat full of goods, that boat-load pays no duty ; for it is thought 
unlucky that an arrow strike any one's property; and the Great Kaan 
says it would be an abomination before God, were such property, that 
has been struck by the divine wrath, to enter into his Treasury. 



TREES MARKING THE ROADS. 



i6g 



HOW THE GREAT KAAN CAUSES TREES TO BE PLANTED BY THE 

HIGHWAYS. 

The Emperor moreover hath taken order that all the highways trav- 
elled by his messengers and the people generally should be planted with 
rows of great trees a few paces apart ; and thus these trees are visible a 
long way off, and no one can miss the way by day or night. Even the 
roads through uninhabited tracts are thus planted, and it is the greatest 
possible solace to travellers. And this is done on all the ways where it 




A Siberian Courier. 

can be of service. The Great Kaan plants these trees all the more 
readily, because his astrologers and diviners tell him that he who plants 
trees lives long. 

But where the ground is so sandy and desert that trees will not grow, 
he causes other landmarks, pillars or stones, to be set up to show the way. 

'' Here we have," said Fred, ''an excellent description of the 
courier or posting system established by Kublai Khan, but we 
must not suppose it was his invention. Posts existed in China 



2;c THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO, 

three centuries before his time ; they were employed by the 
ancient Persian kings, and there were posts in India in the 
thirteenth century, though their existence was probably unknown 
to Polo. Undoubtedly Kublai improved greatly on the system 
as he found it, but we must make due allowance for Marco's 
statements as to the number of horses and runners kept at the 
stations and the magnificence with which the roadside establish- 
ments were furnished. Perhaps Dr. Allen will tell us something 
about Asiatic posting, as he found it in his journey through 
Siberia." 

'' There are many things about the Siberian system," said the 
doctor, "to indicate its Mongol origin. Marco says the stations 
established by Kublai were called Yambs ; the name is retained 
for the Siberian stations, and the drivers are called Ya7nshtcks or 
Yeinshicks. The stations are from ten to twenty miles apart on 
the great road through Siberia, but on the side road the distances 
between the stations are greater. I travelled about five thou- 
sand miles by the Russian post-roads — thirty-six hundred in a 
sleigh and fourteen hundred in a wheeled carriage. I had never 
less than two horses to my conveyance and sometimes five or 
six ; whatever the number they were always harnessed abreast — 
one horse between the shafts of the vehicle and the rest outside. 
The neck of the shaft-horse was surmounted with a high yoke to 
which one or more bells were attached to indicate that I was 
travelling on a government passport and ordinary vehicles must 
give me the road. I have already told you how the tea-caravans 
were obliged to turn out, and of the accident that happened on 
one occasion. You observe that the bells were in use on Kub- 
lai's post-routes just as they are now used in Siberia. 

*' At each station in Siberia the master is required to keep 
fourteen horses and six drivers, though the number varies ac- 
cording to the season of the year and the importance of the 
route. If the supply of horses runs out, he may require the 
people of the village to bring their horses whenever they are 
wanted by a traveller, and, at any rate, he can generally provide 



POSTING IN NORTHERN ASIA. 



271 



all that are required on payment of a small extra price. The 
rate to be paid is fixed by the government, and at each station 
there is a framed placard which states the number of versts (the 
Russian measure of road-distances) to the two neighboring sta- 
tions, so that the station-master cannot easily cheat the stranger. 
There is also an official book in which the traveller may write 
complaints of the service, and it is generally fastened to the table 
in the public room. 

'' I am afraid the comfort of the posting stations in Asia has 
greatly degenerated since Polo's time, if the story of our Vene- 




Summer Travel in Siberia. 

tian is anywhere near the truth. The stations on the great 
Siberian road are just fairly comfortable, and nothing more. 
There is a house in which the master lives with his family and 
his drivers, and one room of this house is set apart for the use of 
travellers. It usually contains nothing more than some benches 
and a table, with possibly a few rude chairs. It is warmed by the 
large stove that fills the centre of the house and affords heat to 
several rooms at once. No bedding is supplied, and if the trav- 
eller wishes to sleep there he must bring his blankets and furs 
from his vehicle and make a couch for himself on one of the 



2/2 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

benches. A Siberian journey continues day and night till its 
end, and very few persons ever sleep at the stations. The rich 
beds and other things of fine silk that Marco mentions are un- 
known in Siberia, and the king who should seek lodgings at any 
of the post-stations I saw would not fall in love with his quarters. 
The traveller generally carries his own provisions, as he cannot 
rely on the stations for any thing else than bread and eggs, with 
hot water for making tea. 

'' For hundreds of miles through Eastern Russia the post- 
road is lined with trees after the manner mentioned by Polo, and 
in desert places the route is marked by mounds of stone or 
earth. Many of Kublai's tree-bordered roads still remain in 
Northern China. 

'' The foot-runners mentioned by Marco are unknown in Sibe- 
ria, but are still in use in China, Japan, and other Eastern coun- 
tries. They travel very fast, and will run incredible distances 
without halting to rest. A Japanese runner generally divests 
himself of the greater part of his clothing, and slings his parcel 
across his shoulder at the end of a stick. He has been known 
to run at the rate of seven miles an hour for several hours with- 
out serious injury, though he was naturally much fatigued at the 
end of his journey." 

One of the youths in the audience asked if it was really true 
that these runners were employed to carry fruit for the king's 
table. 

'' Quite likely such was the case," answered the doctor. '' Cer- 
tainly runners have been so employed in other countries, and I 
have no doubt that they were similarly occupied with Kublai. 
The princes and kings of India, Burmah, and other Asiatic 
countries used to have supplies of fruits transported by swift 
runners, and some of the damtios or Japanese princes liv- 
ing far inland have live fish brought from the sea-coast daily 
for the supply of their tables. Once on one of the roads of 
Japan I met a man carrying two large vases slung at the ends of 
a pole, and each vase contained several fishes swimming in water. 



TRANSPOR TA TION EXTRA ORDINAR Y. 



273 



'* The most remarkable transportation of fruit that I know of 
is recorded of one of the caHphs of Cairo in the tenth century. 
He desired some cherries of Baalbek, and one of his ministers 
undertook to procure them. He caused six hundred carrier- 
pigeons to be sent to Baalbek, where they were let loose for their 
homeward flight. Each pigeon had a silken bag attached to his 
leg, and in each bag was a cherry. 

'' According to Polo," the doctor continued, '' the couriers of 
Kublal were changed at each station, but in most Asiatic countries 




Japanese Roadside Station. Mt. Fusiyama in Background. 

at the present day they ride long distances. Express couriers in 
Thibet ride from Gartokh to Lassa, a distance of about eight hun- 
dred miles, and they travel day and night. The courier's coat is 
sealed upon him and he cannot remove it until he arrives at the 
end of his journey. The modern Turkish post between Constan- 
tinople and Bagdad is done by four Tartar couriers, each riding 
about three hundred miles, and going night and day till his jour- 
ney is ended. The Pony Express across the centre of the Ameri- 



274 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

can continent, before the completion of the railway, used to 
change horses every twenty-five miles and riders every seventy- 
five miles. The saddle with the letter-bags attached went 
through from the beginning to the end of the route. 

" I have taken up a good deal of Fred's time," said the doctor 
in conclusion, ''but hope I have not altogether wasted it." And 
with these words he resumed his seat. 

Fred thanked the doctor for what he had told them concern- 
ing the posting systems of Asia, and said he had nothing to add. 
" But I will," said he, '' anticipate the next chapter which Frank 
is about to read by saying that the wine he describes is still made 
in China, and from the same material, rice. The Chinese name 
for it is sa7n-shoo, and it is said to be a fiery liquid, very strong 
and ' heady.' One traveller says it seemed as if he had swallowed 
a torch-light procession when he took a glass of sam-shoo, and 
another was afraid he had burned a hole in his throat. It is 
served hot and in tiny cups about the size of a lady's thimble. 
The Chinese are fond of this liquid, but they rarely drink it ex- 
cept at their meals. Sometimes it is mixed with spices, and this 
seems to have been the case with what is described by Polo." 

Fred having finished his dissertation upon sam-shoo, the nar- 
rative was resumed by Frank. 

CONCERNING THE RICE-WINE DRUNK BY THE PEOPLE OF CATHAY. 

Most of the people of Cathay drink wine, which they brew of rice 
with a quantity of excellent spice, in such fashion that it makes better 
drink than any other kind of wine ; it is not only good, but clear and 
pleasing to the eye. And being very hot stuff, it makes one drunk 
sooner than any other wine. 

CONCERNING THE BLACK STONES THAT ARE DUG IN CATHAY, AND ARE 

BURNT FOR FUEL. 

It is a fact that all over the country of Cathay there is a kind of black 
stones existing in beds in the mountains, which they dig out and burn 
like firewood. If you supply the fire with them at night, and see that 



PREPARATIONS AGAINST SCARCITY OF FOOD. 



275 



they are well kindled, you will find them still alight in the morning ; and 
they make such capital fuel that no other is used throughout the country. 
It is true that they have plenty of wood also, but they do not burn it, 
because those stones burn better and cost less. 

Moreover with that vast number of people, and the number of hot- 
baths that they maintain — for every one has such a bath at least three 
times a week, and in winter if possible every day, whilst every nobleman 
and man of wealth has a private bath for his own use, — the wood would 
not sufifice for the purpose. 

HOW THE GREAT KAAN CAUSES STORES OF CORN TO BE MADE, TO 
HELP HIS PEOPLE WITHAL IN TIME OF DEARTH. 

You must know that when the Emperor sees that the corn is cheap 
and abundant, he buys up large 
quantities, and has it stored in 
all his provinces and great gran- 
aries, where it is so well looked 
after that it will keep for three 
or four years. 

And this applies, let me tell 
you, to all kinds of corn, whether 
wheat, barley, millet, rice, panic, 
or what not, and when there is 
any scarcity of a particular kind Chinese Wine-Bottles, 

of corn he causes that to be issued. And if the price of the corn 
is at one bezant the measure, he lets them have it at a bezant for 
four measures, or at whatever price will produce general cheapness; 
and every one can have food in this way. And by this providence 
of the Emperor's, his people can never suffer from dearth. He does the 
same over his whole Empire ; causing these supplies to be stored every- 
where according to calculation of the wants and necessities of the 
people. 

OF THE CHARITY OF THE EMPEROR TO THE POOR. 

I have told you how the Great Kaan provides for the distribution 
of necessaries to his people in time of dearth, by making store in time of 





2/6 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO, 

cheapness. Now I will tell you of his alms and great charity to the poor 
of his city of Cambaluc. 

You see he causes selection to be made of a number of families in the 
city which are in a state of indigence, and of such families some may con- 
sist of six in the house, some of eight, some of ten, more or fewer in each 
as it may hap, but the whole number being very great. And each 
family he causes annually to be supplied with wheat and other corn 
sufficient for the whole year. And this he never fails to do every year. 
Moreover, all those who choose to go to the daily dole at the Gourt 
receive a great loaf apiece hot from the baking, and nobody is denied ; 
for so the Lord hath ordered. And so some 30,000 people go for it every 
day from year's end to year's end. Now this is a great goodness in the 
Emperor to take pity of his poor people thus ! And they benefit so much 
by it that they worship him as he were God. 

He also provides the poor with clothes. For he lays a tithe upon all 
wool, silk, hemp, and the like from which clothing can be made ; 
and he has these woven and laid up in a building set apart for the 
purpose ; and as all artizans are bound to give a day's labor weekly, 
in this way the Kaan has these stuffs made into clothing for those 
poor families, suitable for summer or winter according to the time of 
year. He also provides the clothing for his troops, and has woollens woven 
for them in every city, the material for which is furnished by the 
tithe aforesaid. You should know that the Tartars, before they were 
converted to the religion of the Idolaters, never practised almsgiving. 
Indeed when any poor man begged of them they would tell him : 
" Go with God's curse, for if He loved you as He loves me He would 
have provided for you ! " But the sages of the Idolaters, and especially 
the Bacsis mentioned before, told the Great Kaan that it was a good work 
to provide for the poor, and that his idols would be greatly pleased if he 
did so. And since then he has taken to do for the poor so much as you 
have heard. 

CONCERNING THE ASTROLOGERS IN THE CITY OF CAMBALUC. 

There are in the city of Cambaluc, what with Christians, Saracens, and 
Cathayans, some 5000 astrologers and soothsayers, whom the Great Kaan 



ASTRONOMICAL CALCULATIONS. 



277 



provides with annual maintenance and clothing, just as he provides the 
poor of whom we have spoken, and they are in the constant exercise of 
their art in this city. 

They have a kind of Astrolabe on which are inscribed the planetary 
signs, the hours and critical points of the whole year. And every year 
these Christian, Saracen, and Cathayan astrologers, each sect apart, in- 
vestigate by means of this astrolabe the course and character of the whole 
year, according to the indications of each of its Moons, in order to dis- 




Court of Imperial Observatory, Peking. Astrolabe in the Foreground. 

cover by the natural course and disposition of the planets, and the other 
circumstances of the heavens, what shall be the nature of the weather, 
and what peculiarities shall be produced by each Moon of the year ; as 
for example, under which Moon there shall be thunderstorms and 
tempests, under which there shall be disease, murrain, wars, disorders, 
and treasons, and so on according to the indications of each ; but always 
adding that it lies with God to do less or more according to his pleasure. 
And they write down the results of their examination in certain little 



278 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

pamphlets for the year, which are called Tacuin, and these are sold for a 
groat to all who desire to know what is coming. Those of the astrologers, 
of course, whose predictions are found to be most exact, are held to be 
the greatest adepts in their art, and get the greater fame. 

And if any one having some great matter in hand, or proposing to 
make a long journey for traffic or other business, desires to know what 
will be the upshot, he goes to one of these astrologers and says : " Turn up 
your books and see what is the present aspect of the heavens, for I 
am going away on such and such a business." Then the astrologer will 
reply that the applicant must also tell the year, month, and hour of his 
birth ; and when he has got that information he will see how the 
horoscope of his nativity combines with the indications of the time when 
the question is put, and then he predicts the result, good or bad, accord- 
ing to the aspect of the heavens. 

You must know, too, that the Tartars reckon their years by twelves ; 
the sign of the first year being the Lion, of the second the Ox, of the 
third the Dragon, of the fourth the Dog, and so forth up to the twelfth, 
so that when one is asked the year of his birth he answers that it was in 
the year of the Lion (let us say) on such a day or night, at such an hour, 
and such a moment. And the father of a child always takes care to write 
these particulars down in a book. When the twelve yearly symbols have 
been gone through, then they come back to the first, and go through with 
them again in the same succession. 

'' It is very evident," said Fred, as Frank paused, '' that 
the Chinese made use of mineral coal in Polo's time. There are 
excellent beds of coal In various parts of China, but It has never 
been mined on an extensive scale, owing to the lack of trans- 
portation facilities. Within the last few years the Chinese have 
been induced, through foreign Influences, to develop their coal 
mines and they promise well for the future." 

Dr. Allen said coal exists in every one of the eighteen 
provinces of China, and Is extensively burned In the northern 
part of the empire. There Is a mine at Yuen-mln-Yuen, eight 
miles from Peking, and there are other deposits not far away. A 



A BANK OF FISH-DEPOSITS. 



279 



German scientist, who explored the coal fields of China, says 
that in the province of Shanzi alone there is sufficient coal for 
the entire consumption of the globe, at the present rate, for 
seven thousand years ! He further declares that if a railway is 
ever built to these regions, it can run for miles through solid 
beds of anthracite ! 

'' The custom," said Fred, '' of storing grain in years of plenty, 
as a precaution against years of scanty crops, has been continued 
in China down to the present time, but not always with the good 
results described under Kublai's system. Some of the emperors 
have used these public stores as means of oppression, or 
allowed their officials to do so. In some districts a supply for 
two years is kept constantly on hand, and in case of a failure of 




Harbor of Kelung, China, Where Coal Mines Are Operated. 

the crops it is sold to the people at the ordinary price, or given 
to them with the agreement that it is to be returned in the 
first plentiful year. 

*' I have heard," continued the youth, '' that a town in Northern 
Siberia has a similar regulation regarding fish. Salmon caught 
in the rivers are the only food of the people ; if, as sometimes 
happens, the fish fail to come there is great suffering, and the in- 
habitants run the risk of starvation. To prevent such a calamity 
the governor established a storehouse of fish, and a supply for 
three years is constantly retained there. In seasons of dearth a 
man may draw from this storehouse, but he must repay his 
drafts in the first plentiful season. 



28o 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



" The next paragraph," he continued, '' is an admirable com- 
mentary on the benevolence inculcated by Buddhism in contrast 
to the cruel precepts of the Moslems. Buddha was a teacher of 
charity, and his precepts survive in the religion he founded, 
though they are not always obeyed by his followers. 

'' We have already had a reference to the abundance of 
fortune-tellers in Chinese cities, and the general belief in magical 

influences. If we are inclined to laugh 
at the Chinese for their belief in lucky 
and unlucky days, and their consultations 
of the almanac before entering upon busi- 
ness affairs, let us remember that many of 
our own people are unwilling to begin a 
journey or other serious 
undertaking on Friday ; 
that we generally prefer 
to have the new moon 
over the right shoulder ; 
and thousands of intelli- 
gent persons refuse to sit 
at a dinner table where 
the party numbers 
thirteen. 

'' Astrologers are 
less numerous at 
Peking to-day than 
in Kublai's time, 
and they are not fed 
and clothed at gov- 
ernment expense, 
but they are sufficiently abundant for all practical necessities. 
The government still issues an almanac in which the signs 
of the heavens and the list of lucky and unlucky days are 
.presented with great elaboration. The lists are supposed to be 
made by the court astronomers upon careful calculations, but the 




Colossal Figure of Buddha. 



CHINESE POLITENESS. 281 

probabilities are that the compilers of the volume do not take 
much trouble with it. 

''With another chapter, describing some of the religious cus- 
toms of the day, and a few remarks upon filial piety among the 
people, we shall close the exercises of this evening. You are 
all aware that the Chinese continue to worship idols and tablets 
as they did centuries ago ; it would require far more time than I 
have at my disposal to make a satisfactory explanation of their 
religious belief, and I must refer you to some of the books which 
treat in detail of the subject. Doolittle's ' Social life of the 
Chinese ' and Williams' ' Middle Kingdom ' are specially recom- 
mended for your perusal, and you can also obtain considerable 
information from any good encyclopedia. 

'' The ornate speech of the people described by Polo con- 
tinues to-day. A Chinese gentlemen never says ' I ' or ' you,' 
but calls himself ' the inferior,' ' the disciple,' ' the little person,' 
or possibly 'the worm ' or ' the insect' He addresses the party 
to whom he speaks as ' the master,' or ' the learned man,' or may 
even call him ' mandarin,' or ' great chief.' A passage of polite- 
ness among Chinese is amusing to an Occidental, as the speaker 
applies debasing terms to himself and exalting ones to the lis- 
tener. 

'' Filial piety is part of the Chinese teaching from one end of 
the empire to the other. Love of parents prevails everywhere, 
and a man accused of ingratitude to his father or mother is 
deemed guilty of a very serious offence. If a son is accused be- 
fore a magistrate the latter must and will order the punishment 
of the offender, and if the offence and accusation are repeated the 
punishment is death. 

'' You will observe that Marco says the Khan forbabe gam- 
bling on the part of his subjects. It is a pity the present Em- 
peror of China does not issue a similar edict and enforce it too. 
The Chinese are great gamblers, and they carry the practice into 
ordinary life. In the streets it is not unusual to see a man 
gamble away his dinner and go without eating any thing on the 



28: 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



mere chance of obtaining the dinner of another for nothing. 
They have a great variety of games, at which they risk their 
money, their clothing, and sometimes their wives and children, 
who are thus sold into slavery. One of their modes of gam- 
bling is to put a couple of beetles into a shallow dish, and set 
them to fighting, very much as men in America and England get 
up fights between dogs or other animals. They become greatly 
excited over the combat, and I am told that thousands of dollars 

have been won and lost over 
a battle between two of these 
insects. 

'' And now," said Fred in con- 
cluding, '' I will ask Frank to 
read the chapter in question, and 
will move that we adjourn as 
soon as he has finished it." 

It was voted that when Frank 
had ended his part of the work 
the meeting would stand ad- 
journed. With this understand- 
^|ing the young gentleman read 




Gamblers Fighting Crickets. 



as follows : 



CONCERNING THE RELIGION OF THE CATHAY ANS ; THEIR VIEWS AS TO 
THE SOUL; AND THEIR CUSTOMS. 

As we have said before, these people are Idolaters, and as regards 
their gods, each has a tablet fixed high up on the wall of his chamber, on 
which is inscribed a name which represents the Most High and Heavenly 
God ; and before this they pay daily worship, offering incense from a 
thurible, raising their hands aloft, and gnashing their teeth three times, 
praying Him to grant them health of mind and body; but of him they 
ask nought else. And below on the ground there is a figure which they 
call Natigai, which is the god of things terrestrial. To him they give 
a wife and children, and they worship him in the same manner, with 
incense, and gnashing of teeth, and lifting up of hands ; and of him they 



RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES. 



283 



ask seasonable weather, and the fruits of the earth, children, and so 
forth. 

Their view of the immortality of the soul is after this fashion. They 
believe that as soon as a man dies, his soul enters into another body, 




Buddhist Monks at the Door of a Monastery. 

going from a good to a better, or from a bad to a worse, according as he 
hath conducted himself well or ill. That is to say, a poor man, if he 
have passed through life good and sober, shall be born again of a gentle- 



284 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

woman and shall be a gentleman ; and on a second occasion shall be born 
of a princess and shall be a prince ; and so on, always rising, till he be 
absorbed Into the Deity. But if he have borne himself ill, he who was 
the son of a gentleman shall be reborn as the son of a boor, and from a 
boor shall become a dog, always going down lower and lower. 

The people have an ornate style of speech ; they salute each other 
with a cheerful countenance, and with great politeness ; they behave like 
gentlemen, and eat with great propriety. They show great respect to 
their parents ; and should there be any son who offends his parents, or 
fails to minister to their necessities, there is a public office which has no 
other charge but that of punishing unnatural children, who are proved to 
have acted with Ingratitude towards their parents. 

Criminals of sundry kinds who have been imprisoned, are released at 
-a time fixed by the Great Kaan (which occurs every three years), but on 
leaving prison they are branded on one cheek that they may be recog- 
nized. 

The Great Kaan hath prohibited all gambling and sharping, things 
more prevalent there than in any other part of the world. In doing this, 
he said : " I have conquered you by force of arms, and all that you have 
is mine ; if, therefore, you gamble away your property, it Is In fact my 
property that you are gambling away." Not that he took anything from 
them however. 

I must not omit to tell you of the orderly way in which the Kaan's 
Barons and others conduct themselves in coming to his presence. In the 
first place, Avithin a half mile of the place where he is, out of reverence 
for his exalted majesty, everybody preserves a mien of the greatest meek- 
ness and quiet, so that no noise of shrill voices or loud talk shall be heard. 
And they all have certain handsome buskins of white leather, which they 
carry with them, and, when summoned by the sovereign, on arriving at 
the entrance to the hall, they put on these white buskins, and give their 
others in charge to the servants, in order that they may not injure the fine 
carpets of silk and gold and divers colors. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Departure from Cambaluc — Journey Through Cathay — Shansi, Szechwan, and Thibet — Interest- 
ing Descriptions of Strange People — Salt as a Circulating Medium — Thibetan Prayer-Mills. 

At the opening of the next session of the Society Frank an- 
nounced that they were about to leave the capital of the Great 
Khan and visit other cities. " We will continue," said he, ''the 
plan we have thus far followed. I will read the text of the book 
and make whatever abridgments are considered advisable, while 
Fred will offer comments and explanations, with the assistance 
of Dr. Allen and other friends, who will kindly come to our 
relief when we are perplexed." 

His remarks were received with the usual applause. When 
it subsided he proceeded to read from the book. 

HERE BEGINS THE DESCRIPTION OF THE INTERIOR OF CATHAY ; AND 
FIRST OF THE RIVER PULISANGHIN. 

Now you must know that the Emperor sent the aforesaid Messer 
Marco Polo, who is the author of this whole story, on business of his 
into the Western Provinces. On that occasion he travelled from Cam- 
baluc a good four months' journey toward the west. And so now I will 
tell you all that he saw on his travels as he went and returned. 

When you leave the City of Cambaluc and have ridden ten miles, you 
come to a very large river which is called PULISANGHIN, and flows into 
the ocean, so that merchants with their merchandise ascend it from the 
sea. Over this River there is a very fine stone bridge, so fine indeed 
that it has very few equals. The fashion of it is this : it is 300 paces in 
length, and it must have a good eight paces of width, for ten mounted 
men can ride across it abreast. It has 24 arches and as many water-mills, 
and 't is all of very fine marble, well built and firmly founded. Along 
the top of the bridge there is on either side a parapet of marble slabs and 

2S5 



286 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



columns, made in this way. At the beginning of the bridge there is a 
marble column, and under it a marble lion, so that the column stands 
upon the lion's loins, whilst on the top of the column there is a second 
marble lion, both being of great size and beautifully executed sculpture. 
At the distance of a pace from this column there is another precisely the 
same, also with its two lions, and the space between them is closed with 
slabs of gray marble to prevent people from falling over into the water. 
And thus the columns run from space to space along either side of the 
bridge, so that altogether it is a beautiful object. 



Clfl ^ ,^>^ 




The Bridge of Pulisanghin. (From a Chinese Drawing.) 
ACCOUNT OF THE CITY OF JUJU. 

When you leave the Bridge, and ride toward the west, finding all the 
way excellent hostelries for travellers, with fine vineyards, fields, and gar- 
dens, and springs of water, you come after 30 miles to a fine large city 
called JUJU, where there are many abbeys of Idolaters, and the people 
live by trade and manufactures. They weave cloths of silk and gold, 
and very fine taffetas. Here too there are many hostelries for travellers. 

After riding a mile beyond this city you find two roads, one of which 
goes west and the other southeast. The westerly road is that through 
Cathay, and the southeasterly one goes toward the province of Manzi. 

Taking the westerly one through Cathay, and travelling by it for ten 
days, you will find a constant succession of cities and boroughs, with 



TRAVELLING THROUGH CHINA. 



287 



numerous thriving villages, all abounding with trade and manufactures, 
besides the fine fields and vineyards and dwellings of civilized people ; 
but nothing occurs worthy of special mention. 



THE KINGDOM OF TAIANFU. 



After riding those ten days from the city of Juju, you find yourself in 
a kingdom called Taianfu, and the city at which you arrive, which is 
the capital, is also called Taianfu, a very great and fine city. But at the 
end of five days' journey out of those ten, they say there is a city unusu- 




Shop in a Chinese City. 

ally large and handsome called ACBALUC, whereat terminate in this 
direction the hunting preserves of the Emperor, within which no one 
dares to sport except the Emperor and his family, and those who are on 
the books of the Grand Falconer. Beyond this limit any one is at liberty 
to sport, if he be a gentleman. The Great Kaan, however, scarcely ever 
went hunting in this direction, and hence the game, particularly the 
hares, had increased and multiplied to such an extent that all the crops 
of the Province were destroyed. The Great Kaan being informed of 
this, proceeded thither with all his Court, and the game that was taken 
was past counting. 

Taianfu is a place of great trade and great industry, for here they 



288 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO, 

manufacture a large quantity of the most necessary equipments for the 
army of the Emperor. There grow here many excellent vines, supplying 
great plenty of wine ; and in all Cathay this is the only place where wine 
is produced. It is carried hence all over the country. There is also a 
great deal of silk here, for the people have great quantities of mulberry- 
trees and silk-worms. 

From this city of Taianfu you ride westward again for seven days, 
through fine districts with plenty of towns and boroughs, all enjoying 
much trade and practising various kinds of industry. Out of these 
districts go forth not a few great merchants, who travel to India and 
other foreign regions, buying and selling and getting gain. After those 
seven days' journey you arrive at a city called PlANFU, a large and im- 
portant place, with a number of traders living by commerce and industry. 
It is a place, too, where silk is largely produced. 

So we will leave it and tell you of a great city called Cachanfu. But 
stay — first let us tell you about the noble castle called Caichu. 

'' It appears," said Fred, " that Marco made a mistake in the 
name of the river with the fine bridge across it. Pul-i-Sangin 
means in Persian ' The Stone Bridge,' and the name appears re- 
peatedly in Persian history for bridges in other localities. There 
are several stone bridges not far from Peking, all very old, and 
the commentators are in doubt as to the identity of the one named 
by Polo. None of these bridges have more than thirteen arches, 
but there is one farther to the west with twenty-four arches, 
which is the one he doubtless intended. He probably confounded 
two bridges, as there is one with lions' heads and columns just as 
he describes, but with thirteen arches instead of twenty-four. 

'' He is correct as to the distance from the city to the bridge, 
and also from the bridge to Juju, the modern Cho-Chau. It is 
still a place of considerable trade, and the river which flows 
through the town is crowded with boats. A modern traveller 
who followed the road described by Polo, in approaching Cho- 
Chau, says the drive was a beautiful one, and not only were the 
villages almost hidden by foliage but the road itself was lined 



A MANUFACTURING CITY. 



289 



with trees. The effect was to make the journey seem like a 
ramble through the avenues of an EngHsh park. 

** The roads diverge exactly as he tells us and lead in the 
directions indicated. When he speaks of the kingdom of Taianfu 
he undoubtedly means the province of Shansi, and by Taianfu 
(city) he means Taiyuan-Fu, the capital of Shansi. He uses 
kingdom and province rather loosely, though possibly the error 
is due to some of his translators. The city stands about three 
thousand feet above the sea, and was formerly the residence of 




Foot-Bridge over a Chinese Canal. 

the princes of the Ming dynasty ; it contains an imperial factory 
for the manufacture of arms, and is noted for its hardware and 
cutlery. The half-way city described as Acbaluc is supposed to 
be Chingting-Fu, which has greatly declined in the past five 
centuries and is now of little importance. 

'' It is strange that Polo makes no mention of the mountains 
that lie between Chingting-Fu and the province of Shansi. There 
is a high range to be crossed, and then the road follows a series 
of narrow defiles to reach the Shansi table-lands. The country 



290 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

is as famous for grapes now as in Polo's day, and also for other 
products. Pianfu is probably Pingyang-Fu, but we are in doubt 
concerning the identity of Caichu which Frank will now read 
about." 

CONCERNING THE CASTLE OF CAICHU. 

On leaving Pianfu you ride two days westward, and come to the noble 
castle of Caichu, which was built in time past by a king of that country, 
whom they used to call the GOLDEN KiNG, and who had there a 
great and beautiful palace. There is a great hall of this palace, in 
which are pourtrayed all the ancient kings of the country, done in 
gold and other beautiful colors, and a very fine sight they make. Each 
king in succession as he reigned added to those pictures. 

This Golden King was a great and potent Prince, and during his stay 
at this place there used to be in his service none but beautiful girls, 
of whom he had a great number in his Court. When he went to take the 
air about the fortress, these girls used to draw him about in a little 
carriage which they could easily move, and they would also be in attend- 
ance on the King instead of other servants. 

Now I will tell you a pretty passage that befel between this Golden 
King and Prester John, as it was related by the people of the Castle. 

It came to pass, as they told the tale, that this Golden King was 
at war with Prester John. And the King held a position so strong that 
Prester John was not able to get at him or to do him any scathe ; \vhere- 
fore he was in great wrath. So seventeen gallants belonging to Prester 
John's Court came to him in a body, and said that, an he would, they 
were ready to bring him the Golden King alive. His answer was, that he 
desired nothing better, and would be much bounden to them if they 
would do so. 

So when they had taken leave of their Lord and Master Prester John, 
they set off together, this goodly company of gallants, and went to the 
Golden King, and presented themselves before him, saying that they had 
come from foreign parts to enter his service. And he answered by tell- 
ing them that they were right welcome, and that he was glad to 
have their service, never imagining that they had any ill intent. And 



HOW A KING WAS BETRA YED. 



291 



so these mischievous squires took service with the Golden King; 
and served him so well that he grew to love them dearly. 

And when they had abode with that King nearly two years, conduct- 
ing themselves like persons who thought of any thing but treason, they 
one day accompanied the King on a pleasure party when he had 
very few else along with him : for in those gallants the King had 
perfect trust, and thus kept them immediately about his person. So 
after they had crossed a certain river that is about a mile from the castle, 
and saw that they were alone with the King, they said one to another 
that now was the time to achieve that 
they had come for. Then they all drew 
their swords and told the King that 
he must go with them and make no 
resistance, or they would slay him. The 
King at this was in alarm and great 
astonishment, and said : '' How then, 
good my sons, what thing is this ye 
say ? and whither would ye have me 
go ? " They answered, and said : '' You 
shall come with us, will ye nill ye, to 
Prester John our Lord." "^oxix^M of the Golden King. 

HOW PRESTER JOHN TREATED THE GOLDEN KING HIS PRISONER. 

And on this the Golden King was so sorely grieved that he was like to 
die. And he said to them: "Good my sons, have pity and compassion 
upon me. Ye wot well what honorable and kindly entertainment ye 
have had in my house ; and now ye would deliver me into the hands 
of mine enemy ! In sooth, if ye do what ye say, ye will do a very naughty 
and disloyal deed, and a right villainous." But they answered only that 
so it must be, and away they had him to Prester John their Lord. 

And when Prester John beheld the King he was right glad, and 
greeted him with something like a malison. The King answered not a 
word, as if he wist not what it behoved him to say. So Prester John or- 
dered him to be taken forth straightway, and to be put to look 
after cattle, but to be well looked after himself also. So they took 




292 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

him and set him to keep cattle. This did Prester John of the grudge he 
bore the King, to heap contumely on him, and to show what a nothing he 
was, compared to himself. 

And when the King had thus kept cattle for two years, Prester John 
sent for him, and treated him with honor, and clothed him in rich robes, 
and said to 'him : "Now, Sir King, art thou satisfied that thou wast in 
no way a man to stand against me ? " " Truly, my good Lord, I know 
well and always did know that I was in no way a man to stand against 
thee." And when he had said this Prester John replied : " I ask no 
more ; but henceforth thou shall be waited on and honorably treated." 
So he caused horses and harness of war to be given him, with a 
goodly train, and sent him back to his own country. - And after that he 
remained ever friendly to Prester John, and held fast by him. 

So now I will say no more of this adventure of the Golden King, but 
I will proceed with our subject. 

CONCERNING THE GREAT RIVER CARAMORAN AND THE CITY OF 

CACHANFU. 

When you leave the castle, and travel about twenty miles westward, 
you come to a river called Caramoran, so big that no bridge can be 
thrown across it ; for it is of immense width and depth, and reaches to 
the Great Ocean that encircles the Universe, — I mean the whole earth. 
On this river there are many cities and walled towns, and many mer- 
chants too therein, for much traffic takes place upon the river, there 
being a great deal of ginger and a great deal of silk produced in the 
country. 

Game birds here are in wonderful abundance, insomuch that you may 
buy at least three pheasants for a Venice groat of silver. I should say 
rather for an asper, which is worth a little more. 

On the lands adjoining this river there grow vast quantities of great 
canes, some of which are a foot or a foot and a half in girth, and these the 
natives employ for many useful purposes. 

After passing the river and travelling two days westward you come to 
the noble city of Cachanfu, which we have already named. The in- 
habitants are all Idolaters. And I may as well remind you again that all 



SCENERY OF THE COUNTRY. 



293 



the people of Cathay are Idolaters. It is a city of great trade and of 
work in gold tissues of many sorts, as well as other kinds of industry. 

There is nothing else worth mentioning, and so we will proceed and 
tell you of a noble city which is the capital of a kingdom, and is called 
Kenjanfu. 

CONCERNING THE CITY OF KENJANFU. 

And when you leave the city of Cachanfu of which I have spoken, 
and travel eight days westward, you meet with cities and boroughs 
abounding in trade and industry, and quantities of beautiful trees, 
and gardens, and fine plains planted with mulberries, which are the 
trees on the leaves of which the silk-worms do feed. There is also 
plenty of game of all sorts, both of beasts and birds. 



y\ 



•-«3^-^--j„„ ,.,^^ - -^- 




"^.^^ 


—- ■~^- 




r 6-. 


^^^^ 1 - ^\ 












h&«..^aasim^ 


d 


M 


^W'^P?^^*'^PI>lfc|;-; coW^ 



Scene on the Hoang-Ho. 

And when you have travelled those eight days' journey, you come 
to that great city which I mentioned, called Kenjanfu, which in old 
times was a noble, rich, and powerful realm, and had many great and 
wealthy and puissant kings. But now the king thereof is a prince called 
Mangalai, the son of the Great Kaan, who hath given him this realm, 
and crowned him king thereof. It is a city of great trade and industry. 
They have great abundance of silk, from which they weave cloths of silk, 
and gold of divers kinds, and they also manufacture all sorts of equip- 



294 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

ments for an army. They have every necessary of man's Hfe very cheap. 
The city lies towards the west ; and outside the city is the palace of 
the Prince Mangalai, crowned king, and son of the Great Kaan, as I told 
you before. 

This is a fine palace and a great, as I will tell you. It stands in a 
great plain abounding in lakes and streams and springs of water. Round 
about it is a massive and lofty wall, five miles in compass, well built, and 
all garnished with battlements. And within this wall is the king's 
palace, so great and fine that no one could imagine a finer. There are in 
it many great and splendid halls, and many chambers, all painted and 
embellished with work in beaten gold. This Mangalai rules his realm 
right and well with justice and equity, and is much beloved by his 
people. The troops are quartered round about the palace, and enjoy the 
sport that the royal demesne affords. 

So now let us quit this kingdom, and I will tell you of a very moun- 
tainous province called Cuncun, which you reach by a road right weari- 
some to travel. 

'' The story about the Golden King and Prester John is not 
a bad one," said Fred, '' but there is no historical authority for 
it. We are also in doubt as to the identity of the king, but he 
was probably one of the kings of the so-called Golden Dynasty. 
Rot d' Or, or Golden King, is a literal translation oiAlhm Khan, 
the name of one of these rulers." 

'' How about his being drawn by girls in a carriage ? " asked 
one of the young ladies in the audience. 

'' Quite possibly it was the case," said Fred in reply, ** as we 
read that several of the later sovereigns of China had none but 
feminine attendants. The Taiping sovereign at Nanking adopted 
the same custom, and was drawn to his audience-chamber by the 
ladies of the court in a gilded car emblazoned with dragons. 
Perhaps this car was the original of the ]d.^'dXi^'^^ jin-riki-sha, or 
man-power carriage. 

'' The river called Caramoran, which Marco mentions after 
his account of the Golden King, was the Hoang-Ho, or Yellow 



SHANSI AND THE YELLOW RIVER. 



295 



River, of China. In the Mongol language Kara-Muren means 
* Black River,' and it was applied by them to the stream in ques- 
tion. Marco probably exaggerates the amount of traffic on the 
river, as the part he refers to is full of rapids and not easy of 
navigation. But there are many places where boats can be used, 
and it may be that these were the portions that he saw. In later 
times the river has altered its course, and the climate of Shansi 
appears to have changed. There is little silk grown there at 




A Japanese Jinrikisha. 

present, and the commerce of the country has declined greatly 
from its former proportions. 

'' Kenjanfu stands for Singanfu, the present capital of Shansi, 
and of great importance historically. It was the metropolis of 
the first emperor, and for many years was the capital of the 
country. In the seventh century it contained several Christian 
churches, whose existence had been almost forgotten until a 
stone was discovered by some workmen digging in the suburbs 
of Singanfu in the year 1625. 

** It was a slab about seven feet long by three in width, covered 



296 



THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 



with an inscription in Chinese characters, surmounted with across. 
The inscription contained an abstract of Christian doctrine, the 
account of the arrival of a missionary with books and images, the 
translation of the books, the emperor's approval of the new doc- 
trines, and his order for the erection of a church in the principal 
square of the city. Then follows a history of the progress of 
Christianity in the city, and the obstacles it had encountered. 
The stone has been carefully preserved, and here is a picture of 
the cross as it appears on the slab." 

Several minutes were spent in examining the drawing, and 
then Fred went on with his comments. He explained that there 

was a large park to the west 



of the city which answered to 
Polo's account. It is beauti- 
fully laid out, and formerly 
contained several palaces, 
theatres, and other public 
buildings. There was also 
an artificial lake, and there 
were numerous canals and 
water-courses through the 
park, so that it could be trav- 
ersed in all directions by 
boats. 

Fred paused and gave an 

Cross on Stone Found at Singanfu. (Reduced.) Opportunity for Frank tO 

carry the audience further along through the strange country 
they were visiting. 

CONCERNING THE PROVINCE OF CUNCUN, WHICH IS RIGHT WEARISOME 

TO TRAVEL THROUGH. 

On leaving the Palace of Mangalai, you travel westward for three 
days, finding a succession of cities and boroughs and beautiful plains, in- 
habited by people who live by trade and industry and have great plenty 
of silk. At the end of those three days you reach the great mountains 




AMONG THE MOUNTAINS. 297 

and valleys which belong to the province of CUNCUN. There are towns 
and villages in the land, and the people live by tilling the earth, and by 
hunting in the great woods ; for the region abounds in forests wherein 
are many wild beasts, such as lions, bears, lynxes, bucks, and roes, and 
sundry other kinds, so that many are taken by the people of the country 
who make a great profit thereof. So this way you travel over mountains 
and valleys, finding a succession of towns and villages, and many great 
hostelries for the entertainment of travellers, interspersed among exten- 
sive forests. 

CONCERNING THE PROVINCE OF ACBALEC MANZI. 

After you have travelled those twenty days through the mountains of 
Cuncun that I have mentioned, then you come to a province called Ac- 
BALEC Manzi, which is all level country, with plenty of towns and vil- 
lages, and belongs to the Great Kaan. The people are Idolaters, and live 
by trade and industry. I may tell you that in this province there grows 
such a great quantity of ginger, that it is carried all over the region of 
Cathay, and it affords a maintenance to all the people of the province, 
who get great gain thereby. They have also wheat and rice, and other 
kinds of corn in great plenty and cheapness ; in fact the country abounds 
in all useful products. The capital city is called Acbalec Manzi, which 
signifies " The White City of the Manzi Frontier." 

This plain extends for two days' journey, throughout which it is as 
fine as I have told you, with towns and villages as numerous. After 
those two days you again come to great mountains and valleys, and ex- 
tensive forests, and you continue to travel westward through this kind of 
country for twenty days, finding, however, numerous towns and villages. 
The people are Idolaters, and live by agriculture, by cattle-keeping, and 
by the chase, for there is much game. And among other kinds, there 
are animals that produce the musk in great numbers. 

CONCERNING THE PROVINCE AND CITY OF SINDAFU. 

When you have travelled those 20 days westward through the moun- 
tains, as I have told you, then you arrive at a plain belonging to a prov- 
ince called Sindafu, which still is on the confines of Manzi, and the 
capital city of which is also called SiNDAFU. This city was in former 



298 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

days a rich and noble one, and the Kings who reigned there were very 
great and wealthy. It is a good twenty miles in compass, but it is 
divided in the way that I shall tell you. 

You see the King of this Province, in the days of old, when he found 
himself drawing near to death, leaving three sons behind him, commanded 
that the city should be divided into three parts, and that each of his 
three sons should have one. So each of these three parts is separately 
walled about, though all three are surrounded by the common wall of the 
city. Each of the three sons was King, having his own part of the city, 
and his own share of the kingdom, and each of them in fact was a great 
and wealthy King. But the Great Kaan conquered the kingdom of these 
three Kings, and stripped them of their inheritance. 

Through the midst of this great city runs a large river, in which they 
catch a great quantity of fish. It is a good half mile wide, and very deep 
withal, and so long that it reaches all the way to the Ocean Sea — a very 
long way, equal to 80 or lOO days' journey. And the name of the River 
is KlAN-SUY. The multitude of vessels that navigate this river is so vast, 
that no one who should read or hear the tale would believe it. The 
quantities of merchandize also which merchants carry up and down this 
river are past all belief. In fact, it is so big, that it seems to be a Sea 
rather than a River. 

Let us now speak of a great Bridge which crosses this River within 
the city. This bridge is of stone ; it is seven paces in width and half a 
mile in length (the river being that much in width as I told you) ; and all 
along its length on either side there are colums of marble to bear the roof, 
for the bridge is roofed over from end to end with timber, and that all 
richly painted. And on this bridge there are houses in which a great deal 
of trade and industry is carried on. But these houses are all of wood 
merely, and they are put up in the morning and taken down in the even- 
ing. Also there stands upon the bridge the Great Kaan's Comercqiie, 
that is to say, his custom-house, where his toll and tax are levied. And 
I can tell you that the dues taken on this bridge bring to the Kaan a 
thousand pieces of fine gold every day and more. The people are all 
Idolaters. 

When you leave this city you travel for five days across a country of 



MOUNTAIN TRAVELLING. 



299 



plains and valleys, finding plenty of villages and hamlets, and the people 
of which live by husbandry. There are numbers of wild beasts, lions, 
and bears, and such like. 

I should have mentioned that the people of Sindu itself live by manu- 
factures, for they make fine sendals and other stuffs. 

After travelling those five days' march, you reach a province called 
Tebet, which has been sadly laid waste ; we will now say something of it. 




Perilous Road Through a Rocky Defile. 

'' By Cuncun it is probable that Marco means the southern 
part of Shansi, v^hich is called Hanchung. The country is rough 
and v^as formerly heavily wooded ; in ancient times travellers 
were obliged to make a long detour on account of the moun- 
tains, but about the third century of our era a road was made 
across the range for military purposes. It is still in use and is 
regarded as a fine piece of engineering. The solid rock was 
removed from the face of precipitous cliffs and ledges, and in 
many places the track was supported by poles. When these 
poles rotted they had to be replaced or the route was impassa- 
ble ; sometimes it was neglected for many years at a time, and 
the longer it was left in this conditiion the greater was the work 
for those who repaired it. 



300 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

" Following Polo's route through the mountains we come to 
Sindafu, province and city ; the province is Szechwan and the 
city is Chingtufu. A modern visitor says of the latter : 

" ' My notice all goes to corroborate Marco Polo. The covered bridge 
with the stalls is still there, the only difference being the absence of the 
toll-house. I did not see any traces of a tripartite division of the city, 
nor did I make any inquiries on the subject during the three or four days 
I spent there, as it was not an object with me at the time to verify Polo's 
account. The city is indeed divided, but the division dates more than a 
thousand years back.' 

'* Another visitor says that Chingtufu is one of the finest and 
most advanced of the cities of China. He says its population is 
about 800,000, and the walls form a square about three miles 
each way, and there are suburbs besides. The streets are 
broad and straight, laid out at right angles, with a pavement of 
square flags very perfectly laid, slightly convex and drained at 
each side. The numerous commemorative arches are sculptured 
with skill ; there is much display of artistic taste ; and the people 
are remarkably civil to foreigners. This characterizes the whole 
province ; and an air of wealth and refinement prevails even in 
the rural districts. The plain round Chingtufu is about ninety 
miles in length (S. E. to N. W.), by forty miles in width, with 
a copious irrigation and great fertility, so that in wealth and 
population it stands almost unrivalled. 

" The story of the three sons of the king is not in the Chinese 
histories, and we may set it down with the Scotch verdict of ' Not 
proven.' In the mountains beyond the city there is a curious 
people called the Man-tzu, and it is to them Marco probably 
refers when he speaks of the Manzi. Captain Gill, a recent 
visitor to that country, says the French missionaries at Chingtufu 
advised him to eat nothing while with the Man-tzu except the 
provisions he carried with him. ' They have a belief,' said the 
missionaries, ' that if they poison a rich man his wealth ^v^ill accrue 
to the poisoner. Therefore it is their custom to administer a 



HOW WILD BEASTS ARE FRIGHTENED. 



301 



fatal drug to rich or noble guests ; it does not take effect imme- 
diately, but develops a disease that ends in certain death in two 
or three months.' 

'' Near the city there are extensive brine wells whence the 
material for making salt is obtained. About one hundred thou- 
sand tons of salt are made there every year. 

'' We will now take a step in the direction of Thibet," said 
Fred, ''and listen to Marco's account of it." 

CONCERNING THE PROVINCE OF TEBET. 

After those five days' march that I spoke of, you enter a province 
which has been sorely ravaged ; 
and this was done in the wars 
of Mongu Kaan. There are 
indeed towns and villages and 
hamlets, but all harried and de- 
stroyed. 

In this region you find quan- 
tities of canes, full three palms 
in girth and fifteen paces in 
length, with some three palms' 

interval between the joints. View in the Man-tzu Country. 

And let me tell you that merchants and other travellers through 
that country are wont at nightfall to gather these canes and make fires of 
them ; for as they burn they make such loud reports that the lions and 
bears and other wild beasts are greatly frightened, and make off as fast as 
possible ; in fact nothing will induce them to come nigh a fire of that 
sort. So you see the travellers make those fires to protect themselves and 
their cattle from the wild beasts which have so greatly multiplied since 
the devastation of the country. And 't is this great multiplication of the 
wild beasts that prevents the country from being reoccupied. In fact, but 
for the help of these canes, which make such a noise in burning that the 
beasts are terrified and kept at a distance, no one would be able even to 
travel through the land. 

I will tell you how it is that the canes make such a noise. The people 




302 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

cut the green canes, of which there are vast numbers, and set fire to a 
heap of them at once. After they have been awhile burning they burst 
asunder, and this makes such a loud report that you might hear it ten 
miles off. - In fact, any one unused to this noise, who should hear it un- 
expectedly, might easily go into a swound or die of fright. But those 
who are used to it care nothing about it. Hence those who are not used 
to it stuff their ears well with cotton, and wrap up their heads and faces 
with all the clothes they can muster ; and so they get along until they 
have become used to the sound. 'T is just the same with horses. Those 
which are unused to these noises are so alarmed by them that they break 
away from their halters and heel-ropes, and many a man has lost his 
beasts in this way. So those who would avoid losing their horses take 
care to tie all four legs and peg the ropes down strongly, and to wrap the 
heads and eyes and ears of the animals closely, and so they save them. 
But horses also, when they have heard the noise several times, cease to 
mind it. I tell you the truth, however, when I say that the first time you 
hear it nothing can be more alarming. And yet, in spite of all, the lions 
and bears and other wild beasts will sometimes come and do much mis- 
chief ; for their numbers are great in those tracts. 

You ride for 20 days without finding any inhabited spot, so that 
travellers are obliged to carry all their provisions with them, and are con- 
stantly falling in with those wild beasts which are so numerous and so 
dangerous. After that you. come at length to a tract where there are 
towns and villages in considerable numbers. 

The people are Idolaters and an evil generation, holding it no sin to 
rob and maltreat ; in fact, they are the greatest brigands on earth. They 
live by the chase, as well as on their cattle and the fruits of the earth. 

I should tell you also that in this country there are many of the ani- 
mals that produce musk, which are called in the Tartar language Giidderi. 
Those rascals have great numbers of large and fine dogs, which are of 
great service in catching the musk-beasts, and so they procure great 
abundance of musk. They have none of the Great Kaan's paper-money, 
but use salt instead of money. They are very poorly clad, for their 
clothes are only of the skins of beasts, and of canvas, and of buckram. 
They have a language of their own, and they are called Tebet. And 



THE PEOPLE OF THIBET, 



303 



this country of Tebet forms a very great province, of which I will give 
you a brief account. 

FURTHER DISCOURSE CONCERNING TEBET. 

This province, called Tebet, is of very great extent. The people, as 
I have told you, have a language of their own, and they border on 
Manzi and sundry other regions. Moreover, they are very great thieves. 

The country is, in fact, so great that it embraces eight kingdoms, 
and a vast number of cities and villages. It contains in several quarters 




Mountaineers on the Borders of Szechwan. 

rivers and lakes, in which gold-dust is found in great abundance. Cinna- 
mon also grows there in great plenty. Coral is in great demand in this 
country and fetches a high price, for they delight to hang it round the 
necks of their women and of their idols. They have also in this country 
plenty of fine woollens and other stuffs, and many kinds of spices are 
produced there which are never seen in our country. 

Among this people, too, you find the best enchanters and astrologers 



304 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

that exist in all that quarter of the world ; they perform such extraordi- 
nary marvels and sorceries by diabolic art, that it astounds one to see or 
even hear of them. So I will relate none of them in this book of ours ; 
people would be amazed if they heard them, but it would serve no good 
purpose. 

These people of Tebet are an ill-conditioned race. They have mastiff 
dogs as big as donkeys, which are capital at seizing wild beasts, and in 
particular the wild oxen which are called Beyamini, very great and fierce 
animals. They have also sundry other kinds of sporting dogs, and excel- 
lent lanner falcons and sakers, swift in flight and well trained, which are 
got in the mountains of the country. 

Now I have told you in brief all that is to be said about Tebet, and 
so we will leave it, and tell you about another province that is called 
Caindu. 

As regards Tebet, however, you should understand that it is subject 
to the Great Kaan. So, likewise, all the other kingdoms, regions, and 
provinces which are described in this book are subject to the Great Kaan ; 
nay, even those other kingdoms, regions, and provinces of which I had 
occasion to speak at the beginning of the book as belonging to the son 
of Argon, the Lord of the Levant, are also subject to the Emperor ; for 
the former holds his dominion of the Kaan, and is his liegeman and kins- 
man of the blood Imperial. So you must know that from this province 
forward all the provinces mentioned in our book are subject to the Great 
Kaan ; and even if this be not specially mentioned, you must understand 
that it is so. 

Now let us have done with this matter, and I will tell you about the 
Province of Caindu. 

" Marco's travels in Thibet," said Fred, *' were limited to the 
mountainous country on the frontier of Szechwan, which accounts 
in great measure for the brevity of his description. He exagger- 
ates somewhat concerning the bamboo, but as he told his story 
before the invention of gunpowder it is very natural that he 
should think the noise of the bursting joints something terrific. 
A bamboo forest on fire sends off a series of reports like the 



THIBETAN VILLAGES, 



305 



firing of musketry in a battle. When elephants are being driven 
in during a great hunt in Ceylon and Sumatra this property of the 
bamboo is put to practical use. Each of the beaters lights a fire 
at night and occasionally throws a joint of bamboo into it ; the 
air and moisture inside are expanded by the heat, and the joint 
explodes like the sound of a musket. 

''A French missionary, M. Durand, who travelled in 1861 
along the route described by Polo, gives the following account 
of it : 



i^^fe- 




A Village of Eastern Thibet. 

'*' Every day we made a journey of nine or ten leagues, and halted for 
the night in a Kung-kiian. These are posts dotted at intervals of about 
ten leagues along the road to Hlassa, and usually guarded by three 
soldiers, though the more important posts have twenty. With the 
exception of some Tibetan houses, few and far between, these are the 
only habitations to be seen on this silent and deserted road. * * * 
Lytang was the first collection of houses that we had seen in ten days' 
march.' 

''You see by this," remarked Fred, '' that the country has not 
changed much in six centuries, and its population is very small. 
Let me say here that the missionaries of France have been 
among the most enterprising explorers of these little known 



3o6 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



countries and have visited many places that no other European 
has seen. They generally adopt the dress of the natives and 
their mode of life, learn their language, and in every way try to 




A Mountain Road in Thibet. 



show themselves in full sympathy with the people they are 
endeavoring to convert to Christianity. M. Durand speaks of 
the huge dogs of the Thibetans, and describes a combat between 



CHARACTER OF THE COUNTRY, 



307 



some of these animals and a leopard, in which the latter was 
beaten off. The Thibetans have several varieties of dogs ; the 
one referred to is probably the mastiff, which is famous for its 
strength and fierceness. 

'' A few figures concerning Thibet may not be without inter- 
est. The country is the most elevated part of Asia and the 
highest table-land in the world. It is everywhere from ten to 
twelve thousand feet high, and the mountains rise several 
thousand feet above the general elevation of the country. The 
total area is upwards of 700,000 
square miles, but its population 
is thought to be less than five 
millions. They have compara- 
tively little intercourse with the 
rest of the world, as they are 
suspicious of strangers, and their 
demand for the manufactures of 
other lands is not great. Wool 
is the principal article of export, 
and next to it come the precious 
metals, gold and silver. Tea, 
leather, precious stones, and cot- 
ton and silk goods are their 
principal imports. 

''The country is under the nominal control of China, and 
garrisons of Chinese soldiers are scattered through it, but the 
government is largely in the hands of the Grand-Lama or high- 
priest of Buddhism, who resides at Lassa, the capital. Buddhism 
is the religion of Thibet and is devoutly professed by the 
inhabitants. Temples and shrines are numerous, and the priests 
form a large part of the population. We are indebted to Father 
Desgoudins, a French missionary, for many details of this singu- 
lar people, but our time does not permit me to give them. I 
will close the evening by telling you of one of their peculiarities 
of worship — the use of the prayer-mill." 




Father Desgoudins, a French Missionary 
in Thibet. 



308 



THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 



Fred paused a moment and the silence became breathless. 
Evidently his auditors were unable to make out what a prayer- 
mill was. 

'' They write their prayers on slips of paper," Fred explained, 
'' and then fasten them around a wheel ; through this wheel is a 
spindle on which it can turn freely. Every revolution of the 
wheel is supposed to be equivalent to a verbal repetition of 
the prayer, and the machine may be of any size agreed upon. 
Small wheels can be carried in the hand and whirled whenever 

convenient ; larger 
ones are set up in the 
house and revolved 
by a push of the hand 
when any member of 
the family passes near 
it ; others may be 
fastened to windmills 
and kept in action 
when a breeze is blow- 
On ^V / /^^Sk A ^^B^ W, ing, or they may be 
N^ S ^ILJ^IIp'Z' ^^^> turned by water ; and 

at the doors of the 
monasteries there are 
wheels the size of 
barrels, or even larger, 
which every person 
going in or out is expected to revolve. These prayer-mills are 
found wherever Buddhism prevails, but they are nowhere so 
common as in Thibet." 

With this account of one of the customs of the dwellers on the 
other side of the world, Fred concluded his dissertation. The 
president was about to adjourn the meeting when some one 
asked if the Thibetans really made use of salt as a circulating 
medium instead of money. 

''It is used there to some extent." said Dr. Allen, ''but 




Thibetan Objects. 

a, Brass image of Buddha ; /^ Scabbard ; c. Sword ; d, Tinder-Box 
with steel edge ; e. Tobacco-pouch; y. Prayer-cylinder ; g^ Tobacco- 
pipe ; A, Finger-rings ; z, Amulet set with prescious stones ; k^ Rosary. 



SALT IN CHINA. 



309 



not as much as in the time of our traveller. Salt is an article of 
necessity among them, and the people of the mountains not 
infrequently make raids upon Chinese villages in order to steal 
it ; such expeditions are no more dishonorable than the horse- 
stealing enterprises of the Tartars or the American Indians. 
Salt is taken in trade very much as one might accept wheat 
or corn in this country ; it is a staple article, and probably would 
be more acceptable to a merchant than any other commodity. 




Salt Works in Western China. 



'' Modern travellers have not found it used as a circulating 
medium, and the cakes made at the salt works weigh a Chinese 
picul (133 pounds) instead of the half pound mentioned by 
Marco." 

The propounder of the question thanked the doctor for 
his reply, and then the meeting adjourned. 



CHAPTER XV. 

Caindu and Its Wonders — Yunnan and Its Modern Condition — " People of Gold-Teeth " — A 
Wonderful Serpent — The Kingdom of Mien — Bangala — Curious Belief About the Spirits of 
the Dead^-White Elephants at Mandalay — " The Great Shoay Dagon." 

'' I AM about to read of Caindu," said Frank, at the opening 
of the next session, '' and will explain beforehand that I am 
describing a part of Yunnan, a province of Western China 
on the borders of Thibet and Burmah. Yunnan has an area 
of something more than one hundred thousand square miles, and 
a population of about six millions. Nine tenths of the people 
are Buddhists and the remainder Mohammedans. The latter 
rebelled in 1858 against the oppressions of the Chinese, and for 
several years maintained their independence, but the Chinese 
finally recaptured the capital city and restored their authority. 
Foreigners are not kindly received in Yunnan, and very few 
of them have visited the country." 

With this brief statement concerning the route of Polo in his 
journey through Cathay, Frank resumed the reading of the 
narrative. 

CONCERNING THE PROVINCE OF CAINDU. 

Caindu is a province lying towards the west, and there is only one king 
in it. The people are Idolaters, subject to the Great Kaan, and they have 
plenty of towns and villages. The chief city is also called Caindu, and 
stands at the upper end of the province. There is a lake here, in which 
are found pearls which are white but not round. But the Great Kaan will 
not allow them to be fished, for if people were to take as many as 
they could find there, the supply would be so vast that pearls w^ould 
lose their value, and come to be worth nothing. Only when it is his 
pleasure they take from the lake so many as he may desire ; but any one 

310 



SALT AS CURRENCY, 3 1 1 

attempting to take them on his own account would be incontinently put 
to death. 

There is also a mountain in this country wherein they find a kind of 
stone called turquoise, in great abundance ; and it is a very beautiful 
stone. These also the Emperor does not allow to be extracted without 
his special order. 




Valley of the River of Golden Sand. 

The money matters of the people are conducted in this way. They 
have gold in rods which they weigh, and they reckon its value by its 
weight in saggi, but they have no coined money. Their small change 
again is made in this way. They have salt, which they boil and set in a 
mould flat below and round above, and every piece from the mould 
weighs about half a pound. Now, 80 moulds of this salt are worth one 
saggio of fine gold, which is a weight so called. So this salt serves them 
for small change. 

The musk animals are very abundant in that country, and thus of 



312 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

musk also they have great store. They have Hkewise plenty of fish 
which they catch in the lake in which the pearls are produced. Wild 
animals, such as lions, bears, wolves, stags, bucks, and roes, exist in great 
numbers ; and there are also vast quantities of fowl of every kind. Wine 
of the vine they have none, but they make a wine of wheat and rice and 
sundry good spices, and very good drink it is. There grows also in this 
country a quantity of clove. The tree that bears it is a small one, with 
leaves like laurel but longer and narrower, and with a small white flower 
like the clove. They have also ginger and cinnamon in great plenty, 
besides other spices which never reach our countries, so we need say 
nothing about them. 

Let me tell you first of this same country of Caindu that you ride 
through in ten days, constantly meeting with towns and villages, with 
people of the same description that I have mentioned. After riding 
those ten days you come to a river called Brius, which terminates the 
province of Caindu. In this river is found much gold-dust, and there is 
also much cinnamon on its banks. 

CONCERNING THE PROVINCE OF CARAJAN. 

When you have passed that River you enter on the province of Car- 
AJAN, which is so large that it includes seven kingdoms. It lies toward 
the west ; the people are Idolaters, and they are subject to the Great 
Kaan. A son of his, however, is there as King of the country, by name 
ESSENTIMUR ; a very great and rich and puissant Prince; and he well 
and justly rules his dominion, for he is a wise man and a valiant. 

After leaving the river that I spoke of, you go five days' journey 
toward the west, meeting with numerous towns and villages. The coun- 
try is one in which excellent horses are bred, and the people live by cattle 
and agriculture. They have a language of their own which is passing 
hard to understand. At the end of those five days' journey you come 
to the capital, which is called Yachi, a very great and noble city, in 
which are numerous merchants and craftsmen. 

The people are of sundry kinds, for there are not only Saracens and 
Idolaters, but also a few Nestorian Christians. They have wheat and 
rice in plenty. Howbeit they never eat wheaten bread, because in that 



A LAKE IN YUNNAN. 



313 



country it is unwholesome. Rice they eat, and make of it sundry messes, 
besides a kind of drink which is very clear and good, and makes a man 
drunk just as wine does. 

Their money is such as I will tell you. They use for the purpose 
certain white porcelain shells that are found in the sea, such as are some- 
times put on dogs' collars ; and 80 of these porcelain shells pass for a 
single weight of silver, equivalent to two Venice groats, i. e., 24 piccoli. 
Also eight such weights of silver count equal to one such weight of gold. 




Garden-House on the Lake at Yunnan-fu (the Yachi of Polo). 

They have brine-wells in this country from which they make salt, and 
all the people of those parts make a living by this salt. The King, too 
I can assure you, gets a great revenue from this salt. 

There is a lake in this country of a good hundred miles in compass, 
in which are found great quantities of the best fish in the world ; fish of 
great size, and of all sorts. 

Let me tell you also that the people of that country eat their meat 
raw, whether it be of mutton, beef, buffalo, poultry, or any other kind. 



314 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

Thus the poor people will go to the shambles, and take the raw liver as 
it comes from the carcase and cut it small, and put it in a sauce of garlic 
and spices, and so eat it ; and other meat in like manner, raw, just as we 
eat meat that is dressed. 

CONCERNING A FURTHER PART OF THE PROVINCE OF CARAJAN. 

After leaving that city of Yachi of which I have been speaking, and 
travelling ten days toward the west, you come to another capital city 
which is still in the province of Carajan, and is itself called Carajan. The 
people are Idolaters and subject to the Great Kaan ; and the King is 
COGACHIN, who is a son of the Great Kaan. 

In this country gold-dust is found in great quantities ; that is to say, 
in the rivers and lakes, whilst in the mountains gold is also found in 
pieces of larger size. Gold is indeed so abundant that they give one 
saggio of gold for only six of the same weight in silver. And for small 
change they use the porcelain shells as I mentioned before. These are 
not found in the country, however, but are brought from India. 

In this province are found snakes and great serpents of such vast size 
as to strike fear into those who see them, and so hideous that the very 
account of them must excite the wonder of those who hear it. I will tell 
you how long and big they are. 

You may be assured that some of them are ten paces in length ; some 
are more and some less. And in bulk they are equal to a great cask, for 
the bigger ones are about ten palms in girth. They have two forelegs 
near the head, but for foot nothing but a claw like the claw of a hawk or 
that of a lion. The head is very big, and the eyes are bigger than a great 
loaf of bread. The mouth is large enough to swallow a man whole, and 
is garnished with great pointed teeth. And in short they are so fierce- 
looking and so hideously ugly, that every man and beast must stand in 
fear and trembling of them. There are also smaller ones, such as of eight 
paces long, and of five, and of one pace only. 

The way in which they are caught is this. You must know that by 
day they live underground because of the great heat, and in the night 
they go out to feed, and devour every animal they can catch. They go 
also to drink at the rivers and lakes and springs. And their weight is so 



HUNTING THE CROCODILE. 



315 



great that when they travel in search of food or drink, as they do by 
night, the tail makes a great furrow in the soil as if a full tun of liquor 
had been dragged along. Now the huntsmen who go after them take 
them by a certain gyn which they set in the track over which the serpent 
has past, knowing that the beast will come back the same way. They 
plant a stake deep in the ground and fix on the head of this a sharp blade 
of steel made like a razor or a lance-point, and then they cover the whole 
with sand so that the serpent cannot see it. Indeed the huntsman plants 
several such stakes and blades on the track. On coming to the spot the 
beast strikes against the iron blade with such force that it enters his 
breast and rives him so that he dies on the spot, and the crows on seeing 
the brute dead begin to 
caw, and then the hunts- 
men know that the ser- 
pent is dead and come 
in search of him. 

This then is the way 
these beasts are taken. 
Those who take them 
proceed to extract the 
gall from the inside, and 
this sells at a great price ; 
for you must know it furnishes the material for a most precious medicine. 
Thus if a person is bitten by a mad dog, and they give him but a small 
pennyweight of this medicine to drink, he is cured in a moment. Again 
if one has any disease of the skin and applies a small quantity of this gall 
he shall speedily be cured. So you see why it sells at such a high price. 

They also sell the flesh of this serpent, for it is excellent eating, and 
the people are very fond of it. And when these serpents are very 
hungry, sometimes they will seek out the lairs of lions or bears or other 
large wild beasts, and devour their cubs, without the sire and dam being 
able to prevent it. Indeed if they catch the big ones themselves they 
devour them too ; they can make no resistance. 

In this province also are bred large and excellent horses, which are 
taken to India for sale. And you must know that the people dock two 




Head of One of Polo's " Serpents. 



3i6 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

or three joints of the tail from their horses to prevent them from flipping 
their riders, a thing which they consider very unseemly. They ride long 
like Frenchmen, and wear armor of boiled leather, and carry spears and 
shields and arblasts, and all their quarrels are poisoned. And I was told 
as a fact that many persons, especially those meditating mischief, con- 
stantly carry this poison about with them, so that if by any chance they 
should be taken, and be threatened with torture, to avoid this they 
swallow the poison and so die speedily. But princes who are aware of 
this keep ready an antidote which they cause the criminal instantly to 
swallow, and thus they manage to cure those scoundrels. 

I will tell you of a wicked thing they used to do before the Great 
Kaan conquered them. If it chanced that a man of fine person or noble 
birth, or some other quality that recommended him, came to lodge with 
those people, then they would murder him by poison or otherwise. And 
this they did, not for the sake of plunder, but because they believed that 
in this way the goodly favor and wisdom and repute of the murdered 
man would cleave to the house where he was slain. And in this manner 
many were murdered before the country was conquered by the Great 
Kaan. But since his conquest, some 35 years ago, these crimes and 
this evil practice have prevailed no more ; and this through dread of 
the Great Kaan who will not permit such things. 

Frank paused here and sat down, remarking as he did so that 
he believed Fred had something interesting to lay before the 
audience. 

'' I am not entirely sure of that," said Fred, '' but hope so at 
any rate." 

*' We have already considered," said he, '' the use of salt for 
money, and here we have further testimony concerning the 
practice. In some parts of the interior of Africa salt was used 
as a circulating medium as early as the sixth century and as late 
as the fifteenth. At the present time many parts of Africa have 
no money, and travellers must pay their expenses with cloth and 
beads. It is a bulky currency, and requires every explorer to 
have a long train of men for the transportation of his pocket- 



BARTER TRAFFIC IN THE EAST. 



317 



book. And there is a further trouble arising from the fact that 
the cloth and beads acceptable in one region are useless in an- 
other, and will not be taken at any price. Nails and iron hoops 
are a currency in some of the South Sea Islands, where they have 
no mines of iron or coal ; sugar was formerly the base of trade 
among some wild tribes of American Indians ; and it is possible," 
added Fred with a smile, 
" that some of the youths 
here present may recall the 
days when values were ex- 
pressed in marbles and ag- 
ates in their transactions 
with their schoolmates." 

There was a ripple of 
laughter over Fred's last 
commentary on the circulat- 
ing mediums of the globe, 
which gave him an oppor- 
tunity to glance at his notes 
on the next subject for ex- 
planation. 

'' The spiced wine of this 
country is still in high repute 
with the people," he contin- 
ued, ''and is described by 
modern travellers in much 
the same way as Polo 
mentions it. Wild animals 




i/lrjU..A^^^ ;^'^^^^^ 



Capt. William Gill, Explorer of Yunnan. 

abound but probably less numerously than of old, but the lakes 
and rivers are full of water-fowl. Some writers think that 
Marco's tree 'with leaves like laurel but longer and narrower, 
and with a small white flower like the clove,' is the tea-tree of 
Assam. Others think he refers to the cassia tree which grows 
in Yunnan, and that the cloves he describes are cassia buds. Later 
travellers make mention of trees with white leaves, so that we 



3i8 



THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 



are sure the productions of the country have not materially 
changed. 

''In the mountainous parts of Yunnan and also in Thibet 
they have bridges for crossing the streams and valleys, which 
are not likely to become popular in this country. I wonder they 
are not mentioned by Marco, but possibly they were not in use 
where he travelled. 

'* Captain Gill in ' The River of Golden Sand ' describes one 
of these bridges which are freely used by the inhabitants. He 
says there are always two ropes, one for going, and one for 
returning, and the ropes are so arranged that each has a slope 

downwards. There is a 
small runner on the rope, 
consisting of half a cylinder 
eight inches in diameter 
and a foot long ; the rope 
is a very large one of twisted 
bamboo, and the runner is 
placed upon it. The passen- 
ger takes a strong line, ties 
it around his body, passes 
it two or three times around 
himself and the runner so 
that it forms a sort of seat, 
and finally ties it around 
his body again. He is thus suspended below the big rope ; then 
with both hands on the runner he raises his feet from the ground 
and shoots downwards at a tremendous pace. His speed is les- 
sened as he reaches the slack part of the rope, and he finally has 
to draw himself up for the last few yards. It requires a good 
deal of nerve to cross in this way a deep ravine with a foaming 
torrent at its bottom. 

''The River Brius is the upper part of the Yang-tse, where 
that mighty stream is known as the Chin-Sha-Kiang, or ' River 
of Golden Sand.' Carajan is the present province of Yunnan, 




Rope Bridge over a Valley. 



THE PEOPLE OF YUNNAN. 



319 



and the capital city, which Polo calls Yachi, is no other than, 
Yunnan-Fu, which is still the government centre of the province. 
It is walled, like most other Chinese cities, and the linear dis- 
tance of its walls is said to be about seven miles. Formerly it 
had extensive suburbs, but they were destroyed in the Moham- 
medan insurrection which Frank mentioned at the beginning of 
the evening's proceedings, 

'* The people of Yunnan continue to live on rice instead of 
wheat, exactly as when Marco visited their country, and they 
make 'sundry messes' of it which 
are more satisfying to the Ori- 
ental than to the European palate. 
They have long since abandoned 
the use of cowrie shells in place 
of money, but these shells are 
still employed in some of the 
islands of the Indian Ocean and 
along the coasts of Africa and 
India. They are equivalent to 
the wampum of the American 
Indians, and the chief objection 
to them is their bulk. Down to 
the early part of this century the "^^~ ^^ ""^^^z: ""^^ 
revenues of many parts of India ~~ ~~~ ' ~~^" ^^ — 

• 1 • • u • U Gorge on the Chin-Sha-Kiang. 

were paid m cowries which were ^ ^ 

valued at about seven thousand to the dollar ! Large ware- 
houses were required for storing them, and whole fleets of 
boats were employed in their transportation." 

Fred paused a moment and some one took advantage of his 
hesitation to ask what a cowrie shell was like. 

"■ There are several varieties," he replied, '' but the one we 
have to deal with Is called the money cowrie. It is an oval shell 
about an inch long, convex on one side and flat on the other. 
The fiat side has a sort of toothed opening which extends the 
entire length of the shell. Generally the convex side is cut away 




320 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

so as to make a hole which allows the shells to be strunor on a 
cord or wire. Cowries are found in the Indian Ocean, and are 
the principal export of the Maldive Islands. Many tons of them 
are annually imported into England for African commerce, and 
it is said that they were first employed by British merchants in 
the now abandoned slave-trade. 

'' Having told you about the cowrie," said the youth, '' we will 
continue our study of Yunnan. 

''The brine-wells are flowing yet, and the manufacture of salt 
is one of the industries of the country. The lake mentioned by 
Marco is probably the one on which Yunnan-Fu stands ; numer- 
ous canals have been cut from it, so that boats from the 
lake may traverse the city in every direction. Captain Gill 
thinks another lake is intended ; as there are several lakes in 
Yunnan we can take our choice without harming any one. The 
same traveller describes the people as very poor, and says they 
are greatly oppressed by their Chinese rulers. The country was 
sadly devastated during the Mohammedan rebellion, and many 
cities and villages were laid in ruins." 

Some one asked about the statement of Polo that the people 
lived on raw meat just as we eat cooked food. 

'' If they are as poor as described by Captain Gill," Fred 
replied, "■ they would be ready to eat food in any form, whether 
raw or cooked. Modern travellers have said nothing of this 
peculiarity, and we are in the dark as to the correctness of 
Polo's statement. 

''The second city of Yunnan mentioned by Polo is doubtless 
Talifu, on a lake of the same name. The lake is drained into 
the Mekong River which flows through Cochin China ; the 
crocodile is found in the Mekong, and it is doubtless this 
reptile which Marco describes as a serpent ten paces in length. 
He seems to have studied the animal very carelessly as he 
discovered only one pair of feet, while the well-bred crocodile 
is provided with double that number. But there can be no mis- 
take about the ferocity of the countenance and the huge eyes. 




i 




JiiiMiii 




322 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO, 

and furthermore the manner of kilHng him Is well described. 
There are other ways of taking the crocodile, the most popu- 
lar one being to dig a long pit parallel to the water's edge, place 
sharp stakes in the bottom, cover the pit with leaves and brush- 
wood, and then tie a young goat to a stake on the side of 
the pit farthest from the water. Attracted by the bait the 
crocodile is lured into the pit, where he is impaled on the stakes 
and easily despatched. His flesh is eaten by the natives of Co- 
chin China, Cambodia, and some parts of India, but is abhorred 
by Europeans. 

''The gall of the crocodile has yet a high reputation as a 
medicine among certain Oriental people, but is not prescribed by 
Western doctors. The Chinese use many articles in their medi- 
cal practice that are unknown to Europe, and this is one of 
them. 

** The superstition about the spirit of a good man remaining 
where he was slain," continued Fred, '* is not confined to Yunnan 
and the time of Polo. Captain Gill describes something like it 
among the Manzi, as I have already told you, and I have 
read that the Goldees, a people living on the Amoor River 
in Siberia, have exactly the belief described by Polo. They hold 
that when a man dies his spirit remains around the place where 
he breathed his last. Therefore, when one comes among them 
with whom they are pleased they kill him in order to retain 
his spirit in their houses ; they are not actuated by malice, 
and the better and more kindly the disposition of the stran- 
ger the more likely are they to kill him." 

Here Frank rose to continue the reading, but before resuming 
he remarked that it might be advisable for future travellers 
among the Goldees to behave as badly as possible in order to 
ensure their safety. '' And I have heard," said he, *'of modern 
travellers In various parts of the world whose lives would be in 
no danger among these people of the Amoor if their conduct had 
any influence upon their fate." 



''PEOPLE OF GOLD-TEETHr 323 

CONCERNING THE PROVINCE OF ZARDANDAN. 

When you have left Carajan and have travelled five days westward, 
you find a province called ZARDANDAN. The capital city is called 
VOCHAN. 

The people of this country all have their teeth gilt ; or rather every 
man covers his teeth with a sort of golden case made to fit them, 
both the upper teeth and the under. The men do this, but not the 
women. The men also are wont to gird their arms and legs with bands 
or fillets pricked in black, and it is done thus ; they take five needles 
joined together, and with these they prick the flesh till the blood comes, 
and then they rub in a certain black coloring stuff, and this is perfectly 
indelible. It is considered a piece of elegance and the sign of gentility 
to have this black band. The men are all gentlemen in their fashion, and 
do nothing but go to the Avars, or go hunting and hawking. The ladies 
do all the business, aided by the slaves who have been taken in war. 

They eat all kinds of meat, both raw and cooked, and they eat 
rice with their cooked meat as their fashion is. Their drink is wine made 
of rice and spices, and excellent it is. Their money is gold, and for 
small change they use pig-shells. And I can tell you they give one 
weight of gold for only five of silver ; for there is no silver-mine within 
five months* journey. And this induces merchants to go thither carrying 
a large supply of silver to change among that people. And as they have 
only five weights of silver to give for one of fine gold, they make 
immense profits by their exchange business in that country. 

These people have neither idols nor churches, but worship the 
progenitor of their family, " for 't is he," say they, " from whom we 
have all sprung." They have no letters or writing ; and 't is no wonder, 
for the country is wild and hard of access, full of great woods and moun- 
tains which 't is impossible to pass, the air in summer is so impure 
and bad ; and any foreigners attempting it would die for certain. When 
these people have any business transactions with one another, they take 
a piece of stick, round or square, and split it, each taking half. And on 
either half they cut two or three notches. And when the account is 
settled the debtor receives back the other half of the stick from the 
creditor. 



324 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



And let me tell you that in all those three provinces that I have been 
speaking of, to wit Carajan, Vochan, and Yachi, there is never a leech. 
But when any one is ill they send for their magicians, that is to say the 
Devil-conjurors and those who are the keepers of the idols. When these 




Hill Tribes of Yunnan. (From a Chinese Drawing.) 

are come the sick man tells them what ails him, and then the conjurors 
incontinently begin playing on their instruments and singing and dancing; 
and the conjurors dance to such a pitch that at last one of them shall fall 
to the ground lifeless, like a dead man. And then the devil entereth into 



CURING B Y SORCER Y. 325 

his body. And when his comrades see him in this pHght they begin to 
put questions to him about the sick man's ailment. And he will reply : 
" Such or such a spirit hath been meddling with the man, for that he hath 
angered the spirit and done it some despite." Then they say: ''We 
pray thee to pardon him, and to take of his blood or of his goods what 
thou wilt in consideration of thus restoring him to health." And when they 
have so prayed, the malignant spirit that is in the body of the prostrate man 
will (mayhap) answer : " The sick man hath also done great despite unto 
such another spirit, and that one is so ill-disposed that it will not pardon 
him on any account " ; — this at least is the answer they get, an the 
patient be like to die. But if he is to get better the answer will be that 
they are to bring two sheep, or may be three ; and to brew ten or twelve 
jars of drink, very costly and abundantly spiced. Moreover it shall be 
announced that the sheep must be all black-faced, or of some other par- 
ticular color as it may hap ; and then all those things are to be offered in 
sacrifice to such and such a spirit whose name is given. And they are to 
bring so many conjurors, and so many ladies, and the business is to be 
done with a great singing of lauds, and with many lights, and store of 
good perfumes. That is the sort of answer they get if the patient is to 
get well. And then the kinsfolk of the sick man go and procure all that 
has been commanded, and do as has been bidden, and the conjuror who 
had uttered all that gets on his legs again. 

So they fetch the sheep of the color prescribed, and slaughter them, 
and sprinkle the blood over such places as have been enjoined, in honor 
and propitiation of the spirit. And the conjurors come, and the ladies, in 
the number that was ordered, and when all are assembled and every thing 
is ready,^ they begin to dance and play and sing in honor of the spirit. 
And they take flesh-broth, and drink, and lign-aloes, and a great number 
of lights, and go about hither and thither, scattering the broth and the 
drink and the meat also. And when they have done this for a while, 
again shall one of the conjurors fall flat and wallow there foaming at the 
mouth, and then the others will ask if he have yet pardoned the sick 
man? And sometimes he shall answer yea! and sometimes he shall 
answer no ! And if the answer be no, they shall be told that something 
or other has to be done all over again, and then he will be pardoned ; so 



326 



THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 



this they do. And when all that the spirit has commanded has been done 
with great ceremony, then it shall be announced that the man is par- 
doned and shall be speedily cured. So when they at length receive such 
a reply, they announce that it is all made up with the spirit, and that he is 
propitiated, and they fall to eating and drinking with great joy and mirth, 
and he who had been lying lifeless on the ground gets up and takes his 
share. So when they have all eaten and drunken, every man departs 
home. And presently the sick man gets sound and well. 

Now that I have told you of the customs and 
naughty ways of that people, we will have done 
talking of them and their province, and I will tell 
you about others, all in regular order and succes- 
sion. 

'' Zardandan means, in Persian, ' Gold- 
teeth,' " said Fred, as Frank sat down. '' The 
people of that name are mentioned several 
times in history, but they do not seem to 
exist at present in the country where Marco 
places them. Some of the people of Sumatra 
have cases of gold and silver for their teeth. 
Sir Stamford Raffles says of the Sumatrans : 
' The great men sometimes set their teeth in 
gold, by casing with a plate of that metal 
the under row. It is sometimes indented to the shape of the teeth, 
but more usually quite plain, and they do not remove it either to 
eat or sleep.' Tattooing still appears to be in fashion, as one 
recent traveller says the people of both sexes tattoo their limbs 
slightly from the knee downwards, and some wear rings of rattan 
below the knee. The greatest devotees of tattooing are the 
Japanese Bettos, or Grooms. They cover the entire body with 
all sorts of fantastic figures, so that their skins at a little distance 
resemble pieces of calico. 

"■ The practice of exorcism as a cure for disease prevails in 
various ways in many countries, but particularly in Asia. The 




Inhabitants of Western 
Yunnan. 



SHAMANS. OR DEVIL-PRIESTS. 



327 



form described by Polo is closely allied to that of the Siberian 
tribes, who call in the Shaman, or Devil-priest, whenever any one 
falls ill. The Shaman invariably makes a feast of some sort, 
and creates a frightful noise, so that if the evil spirit has any 
fondness for peace and quietness she is glad to leave the patient 
and go somewhere else. If he fails to cure the disease the 
Shaman gets out of the difficulty by declaring it is caused by a 
spirit over whom he has no control, but he does 
not hesitate to appropriate all the presents 
that have been offered. The performance of 
the dancing dervishes of Arab countries have 
a close relation to the practices of the Sha- 
mans." 

Fred paused and nodded to Frank, who 
immediately rose and said that the next two 
chapters were devoted to a somewhat dreary 
description of a battle between two kings of 
the East. He would therefore skip them and 
read 

OF THE GREAT DESCENT THAT LEADS TOWARDS 
THE KINGDOM OF MIEN. 

After leaving the Province of which I have been 
speaking you come to a great Descent. In fact you 
ride for two days and a half continually down hill. 
On all this descent there is nothing worthy of men- Tattooed Female Hand, 
tion except only that there is a large place there where occasionally a great 
market is held ; for all the people of the country round come thither on 
fixed days, three times a week, and hold a maket there. They exchange 
gold for silver ; for they have gold in abundance; and they give one 
■weight of fine gold for five weights of fine silver; so this induces mer- 
chants to come from various quarters bringing silver which they exchange 
for gold with these people ; and in this way the merchants make great 
gain. As regards those people of the country who dispose of gold so 
cheaply, you must understand that nobody is acquainted with their places 




328 



THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 



of abode, for they dwell in inaccessible positions, in sites so wild and 
strong that no one can get at them to meddle with them. Nor will they 
allow anybody to accompany them so as to gain a knowledge of their 
abodes. 

After you have ridden those two days and a half down hill, you find 
yourself in a province towards the south which is pretty near to India, 
and this province is called Amien. You travel therein for fifteen days 
through a very unfrequented country, and through great woods abound- 




Dancing Dervishes at Bokhara. 

ing in elephants and unicorns and numbers of other wild beasts. There 
are no dwellings and no people, so we need say no more of this wild 
country, for in sooth there is nothing to tell. 



CONCERNING THE CITY OF MIEN, AND THE TWO TOWERS THAT ARE 
THEREIN, ONE OF GOLD AND THE OTHER OF SILVER. 

And when you have travelled those 15 days through such a difficult 
country as I have described, in which travellers have to carry provisions 
for the road because there are no inhabitants, then you arrive at the 



THE SILVER AND GOLDEN TOWERS. 



329 



capital city of tliis Province of Mien, and it also is called Amien, and is a 
very great and noble city. 

And in this city there is a thing so rich and rare that I must tell you 




Road from Yunnan to the Valley of the Chin-Sha-Kiang. 

about it. You see there was in former days a rich and puissant king in 
this city, and when he was about to die he commanded that by his tomb 
they should erect two towers, one at either end, one of gold and the 



330 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

other of silver, in such fashion as I shall tell you. The towers are built 
of fine stone ; and then one of them has been covered with gold a good 
finger in thickness, so that the tower looks as if it were all of solid gold ; 
and the other is covered with silver in like manner, so that it seems to be 
all of solid silver. Each tower is a good ten paces in height and of 
breadth in proportion. The upper part of these towers is round, and 
girt all about with bells, the top of the gold tower with gilded bells and 
the silver tower with silvered bells, insomuch that whenever the wind 
blows among these bells they tinkle. The tomb likewise was plated 
partly with gold and partly with silver. The King caused these towers 
to be erected to commemorate his magnificence and for the good of his 
soul ; and really they do form one of the finest sights in the world ; so ex- 
quisitely finished are they, so splendid and costly. And when they are 
lighted up by the sun they shine most brilliantly and are visible from a 
vast distance. 

Now you must know that the Great Kaan conquered the country in 
this fashion. 

You see at the Court of the Great Kaan there was a great number of 
gleemen and jugglers; and he said to them one day that he wanted them 
to go and conquer the aforesaid province of Mien, and that he would 
give them a good Captain to lead them and other good aid. And they 
replied that they would be delighted. So the Emperor caused them to 
be fitted out with all that an army requires, and gave them a Captain and 
a body of men-at-arms to help them ; and so they set out, and marched 
until they came to the country and province of Mien. And they did 
conquer the whole of it! And when they found in the city the two 
towers of gold and silver of which I have been telling you, they were 
greatly astonished, and sent word thereof to the Great Kaan, asking what 
he would have them do with the two towers, seeing what a great quantity 
of wealth there was upon them. And the Great Kaan, being well aware 
that the King had caused these towers to be made for the good of his 
soul, and to preserve his memory after his death, said that he would not 
have them injured, but would have them left precisely as they were. And 
that was no wonder either, for you must know that no Tartar in the world 
will ever, if he can help it, lay hand on any thing appertaining to the dead. 



SINGULAR CUSTOMS ON MARKET-DA YS, 331 

They have in this province numbers of elephants and wild oxen ; also 
beautiful stags and deer and roe, and other kinds of large game in plenty. 

CONCERNING THE PROVINCE OF BANGALA. 

Bangala is a Province towards the south, which up to the year 1290, 
when the aforesaid Messer Marco Polo was still at the Court of the Great 
Kaan, had not yet been conquered ; but his armies had gone thither to 
make the conquest. You must know that this Province has a peculiar 
language, and that the people are wretched Idolaters. They are tolerably 
close to India. There are numbers of slaves there, insomuch that all the 
Barons who keep them get them from that Province. 

The people have oxen as tall as elephants, but not so big. They live 
on flesh and milk and rice. They grow cotton, in which they drive a 
great trade, and also spices such as spikenard, galingale, ginger, sugar, and 
many other sorts. And the people of India also come thither in search 
of slaves, male and female, of which there are great numbers, taken from 
other provinces with which those of the country are at war ; and these 
slaves are sold to the Indian and other merchants who carry them thence 
for sale about the world. 

There is nothing more to mention about this country, so we will quit 
it, and I will tell you of another province called Caugigu. 

'' Marco speaks of the markets being held three times a week 
in the country he is now describing," Fred remarked, as Frank 
paused. '' At present the markets are held there every fifth 
day, and the practice is said to be general throughout Western 
Yunnan. It is found In Java and also in Mexico, and there are 
parts of India and Cochin China where the same interval elapses 
between the market-days. 

"• Captain Gill describes a curious custom that he found in the 
market of I-Chang, an Interior city of China. The price of a 
thing is never varied, but the number of ounces to the pound Is 
increased or diminished according to its abundance or scarcity." 

The laugh that greeted this strange story was followed by a 
question as to whether the people of that country exchanged gold 
for silver at the rate mentioned by Marco. 



332 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

*' They still bring gold from the mountains," said Fred in 
reply to the interrogatory, '' but the old rate of exchange is not 
kept up. The Chinese are too sharp to allow such a state of 
things to last long, and you can be sure the people get for their 
gold as much as it is worth." 

*^ The province of Amien, which Polo next describes, is 
doubtless Burmah. The city of Mien is not identified to the 
satisfaction of everybody, but is generally supposed to be Pagan, 
which was then the capital of that country. It was captured by 
the Mongols in the latter part of the thirteenth century, and is 
now of little consequence. The king who reigned in Pagan dur- 
ing Polo's time built a magnificent pagoda, which he filled with 
golden images of Buddha and his disciples, together with other 
models and images of the same material and of great value. 
This is probably the foundation of Marco's story, but the ac- 
count of the way the city was captured is too absurd for consid- 
eration. 

'' Mandalay is the present capital of Burmah, while Rangoon 
is its seaport. Three provinces of the coast are under British 
control, and the whole country will be dominated by the English 
flag before many years. All the cities of Burmah are full of 
the monuments of Buddhism, and some of them are famous for 
their grandeur. The Shoay Dagon, or Golden Pagoda, of Ran- 
goon is one of the finest of the temples, and the first object in 
that city to which the traveller directs his steps. Perhaps Dr. 
Allen will tell us about it." 

*' With pleasure," said the doctor, as he rose to respond to 
the youth's request. '' The Golden Pagoda is a striking edifice, 
and visible for a great distance. It is on a hill that elevates it 
above all other buildings in Rangoon ; the pagoda is five hundred 
feet square, and rises from a platform one thousand feet square 
to a height of nearly three hundred feet. It is built of brick and 
stone and covered with gold leaf ; the gold that was used in cov- 
ering it was said to equal the weight of the king who ordered the 
work, and to judge by its extent he must have been a giant in 



LAND OF THE WHITE ELEPHANT, 



333 



size. Inside the temple there are many statues of Buddha, some 
of them very large ; all are gilded and some very thickly, and the 
garments of many are made of bits of glass put together with a 
great deal of ingenuity." 

As the doctor sat down Fred continued his comments upon 
Polo's story. 

'' You are all aware," said he, '' that elephants are numerous 
in Burmah ; in fact, the 
country is one of the 
lands of the elephant, 
and of the white ele- 
phant too. The pres- 
ent king has several of 
these animals, which 
are kept close to his 
palace at Mandalay ; 
they are taken out for 
an occasional airing, 
accompanied by a train 
of attendants who hold 
umbrellas at the end of 
long sticks toshieldthe 
precious beasts from 
the sun. Bang a 1 a, 
which Polo mentions 
as a province towards 
the south, is evidently 
intended for Bengal, 
but he is wrono- as to 
its position, though 
generally correct in 
describing its pro- 




Palace of the King of Burmah, at Mandalay. 



ducts. It is doubtful if he ever visited Bengal, and his accounts 
of it are certainly very meagre. 

"■ But I see our president glancing at the clock," continued 



334 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



the youth, '' and know it is time for me to stop. We have given 
you enough to think of for one evening at least, and therefore I 
move that we adjourn." 

The motion was seconded and unanimously carried. 



,..*«■,. .^M^^m^ 




An Oriental Dwelling-House. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

Various Provinces and Cities of China — Neighboring Countries — The Conquest of Manzi — Man- 
ners and Customs — "Baron Hundred-Eyes" — Exposure of Infants in China — Identity of 
Cities Described by Polo — An American Anecdote. 

At the next meeting of the Society Frank was unable to 
appear in his usual place on account of a severe cold which ren- 
dered his voice altogether too harsh for reading purposes. His 
duties were temporarily assigned to his friend and schoolmate, 
Charles Fisher, who apologized for any imperfections that might 
be discovered in his elocution, on the ground that he was without 
experience, and had undertaken the task at only a few hours' no- 
tice. He was assured by the president that nobody was inclined 
to find any imperfections ; they were all sure he would do his 
best, and no one could ask or expect more. Thus encouraged, 
the youth read in a clear and well-modulated voice, beginning with 

DISCOURSES OF THE PROVINCE OF CAUGIGU. 

Caugigu is a province towards the east, which has a king. The peo- 
ple are Idolaters, and have made their submission to the Great Kaan, and 
send him tribute every year. And let me tell you their king is so given to 
luxury that he hath at the least 300 wives / for whenever he hears of any 
beautiful woman in the land, he takes and marries her. 

They find in this country a good deal of gold, and they also have 
great abundance of spices. But they are such a long way from the sea 
that the products are of little value, and thus their price is low. They 
have elephants in great numbers, and other cattle of sundry kinds, and 
plenty of game. They live on flesh and milk and rice, and have wine 
made of rice and good spices. The whole of the people, or nearly so, 
have their skin marked with the needle in patterns representing lions, 
dragons, birds, and what not, done in such a way that it can never be 

335 



336 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

obliterated. This work they cause to be wrought over face and neck and 
chest, arms and hands, and, in short, the whole body ; and they look on 
it as a token of elegance, so that those who have the largest amount of 
this embroidery are regarded with the greatest admiration. 

CONCERNING THE PROVINCE OF ANIN. 

Anin is a Province toward the east, the people of which are subject to 
the Great Kaan, and are Idolaters. They live by cattle and tillage, and 
have a peculiar language. The women wear on the legs and arms brace- 
lets of gold and silver of great value, and the men wear such as are even 
yet more costly. They have plenty of horses, which they sell in great 
numbers to the Indians, making a great profit thereby. And they have 
also vast herds of buffaloes and oxen, having excellent pastures for these. 
They have likewise all the necessaries of life in abundance. 

Now you must know that between Anin and Caugigu, which we have 
left behind us, there is a distance of twenty-five days' journey ; and from 
Caugigu to Bangala, the third province in our rear, is thirty days' journey. 

CONCERNING THE PROVINCE OF COLOMAN. 

COLOMAN is a province eight days' journey toward the east, the people 
of which are Idolaters and have a peculiar language. They are a tall and 
very handsome people, though in complexion brown rather than white, 
and are good soldiers. They have a good many towns, and a vast num- 
ber of villages, among great mountains, and in strong positions. 

When any of them die the bodies are burnt, and then they take the 
bones and put them in little chests. These are carried high up the 
mountains, and placed in great caverns, where they are hung up in such 
wise that neither man nor beast can come at them. 

A good deal of gold is found in the country, and for petty traffic they 
use porcelain shells such as I have told you of before. All these prov- 
inces that I have been speaking of, to wit Bangala and Caugigu and 
Anin, employ for currency porcelain shells and gold. There are mer- 
chants in this country who are very rich and dispose of large quantities 
of goods. The people live on flesh and rice and milk, and brew their 
wine from rice and excellent spices. 



A COUNTRY OF LIONS. 



337 



CONCERNING THE PROVINCE OF CUIJU. 

CUIJU is a province towards the east. After leaving Coleman you 
travel along a river for twelve days, meeting with a good number of 
towns and villages, but nothing worthy of particular mention. After you 
have travelled those twelve days along the river you come to a great and 
noble city which is called FUNGUL. 

The people live by trade and handicrafts, and they manufacture stuffs 
of the bark of certain trees which form very fine summer clothing. 
They are good soldiers, and have paper-money. For you must under- 
stand that henceforward we are in the countries where the Great Kaan's 
paper-money is current. 

The country swarms with lions to that degree that no man can ven- 
ture to sleep outside his house 
at night. Moreover, when you 
travel on that river, and come 
to a halt at night, unless you 
keep a good way from the bank 
the lions will spring on the 
boat and snatch one of the 
crew and make off with him 
and devour him. And but for 
a certain help that the inhab- 
itants enjoy, no one could ven- 
ture to travel in that province, 
because of the multitude of 
those lions, and because of their 
strength and ferocity. ^'°^ Suspension Bridge in the Cuiju Mountains. 

But you see they have in this province a large breed of dogs, so fierce 
and bold that two of them together will attack a lion. So every man who 
goes a journey takes with him a couple of those dogs, and when a lion ap- 
pears they have at him with the greatest boldness, and the lion turns on 
them, but can't touch them for they are very deft at eschewing his blows. 
So they follow him, perpetually giving tongue, and watching their chance 
to give him a bite in the rump or in the thigh, .or wherever they may. 




338 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

The lion makes no reprisal except now and then to turn fiercely on them, 
and then indeed were he to catch the dogs it would be all over with them, 
but they take good care that he shall not. So, to escape the dogs' din, 
the lion makes off, and gets into the wood, where mayhap he stands at 
bay against a tree. And when the travellers see the lion in this plight 
they take to their bows, for they are capital archers, and shoot their 
arrows at him till he falls dead. And 't is thus that travellers in those 
parts do deliver themselves from those lions. 

They have a good deal of silk and other products which are carried up 
and down, by the river of which we spoke, into various quarters. 

You travel along the river for twelve days more, finding a good 
many towns all along, and the people always Idolaters^ and subject to the 
Great Kaan, with paper-money current, and living by trade and handi- 
crafts. There are also plenty of fighting men. And after travelling 
those 12 days you arrive at the city of Sindafu of which we spoke in this 
book some time ago. 

From Sindafu you set out again and travel some 70 days through 
the provinces and cities and towns which we have already visited, and all 
which have been already particularly spoken of in our Book. At the end 
of those 70 days you come to Juju where we were before. 

From Juju you set out again and travel four days toward the south, 
finding many towns and villages. The people are great traders and 
craftsmen, are all Idolaters, and use the paper-money of the Great Kaan 
their Sovereign. At the end of those four days you come to the city of 
Cacanfu belonging to the province of Cathay. 

CONCERNING THE CITIES OF CACANFU AND OF CHANGLU. 

Cacanfu is a noble city. The people have plenty of silk from which 
they weave stuffs of silk and gold, and sandals in large quantities. There 
are also certain Christians at this place, who have a church. And the 
city is at the head of an important territory containing numerous towns 
and villages. A great river passes through it, on which much merchan- 
dize is carried to the city of Cambaluc, for by many channels and canals 
it is connected therewith. 

We will now set forth again, and travel three days towards the south, 




Girls of Laos. 



340 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

and then we come to a town called Changlu. This is another great city 
belonging to the Great Kaan, and to the province of Cathay. The peo- 
ple have paper-money and burn their dead ; they make salt in great 
quantities at this place ; I will tell you how 't is done. 

A kind of earth is found there which is exceedingly salt. This they 
dig up and pile in great heaps. Upon these heaps they pour water in 
quantities till it runs out at the bottom ; and then they take up this 
water and boil it well in great iron cauldrons, and as it cools it deposits 
a fine white salt in very small grains. This salt they then carry about for 
sale to many neighboring districts, and get great profit thereby. 

There is nothing else worth mentioning, so let us go forward five days' 
journey, and we shall come to a city called Chinangli. 

Charles went triumphantly through his first effort at public 
reading, and was heartily applauded. Blushes and smiles of 
satisfaction covered his face as he bowed his acknowledgments 
and sat down to make way for Fred with his commentaries. 

" There has been," said the latter, "a great deal of discussion 
as to the identity of the provinces of Caugigu and Anin, and 
many pages have been written on the subject. But to make a 
summary of the arguments, and judging by the description of 
the countries and their inhabitants, we may conclude that Cau- 
gigu stands for Laos, a country lying north and east of Siam 
and tributary to that kingdom. The king of Laos has a great 
many wives, his people tattoo themselves in the manner de- 
scribed by Polo, and they have plenty of ' elephants and other 
cattle of sundry kinds.' In the southern part of Laos tattooing 
seems to have gone out of fashion, but It Is still practised in the 
north. Few European travellers have been to that region, and 
our accounts of it are not very complete. 

*' Anin is probably the southern part of Yunnan, and was not 
personally visited by Polo. Coloman is supposed to be a part of 
Western China on the borders of Yunnan. At any rate the de- 
scription seems to indicate the Lolos or Lolo-man. A Chinese 
book concerning the frontier tribes of the empire was translated 



DESCRIPTION OF THE LOLOS. 



341 



some time ago by one of the missionaries to the East. Here is 
what it says of the Lolos : 

'' They are tall, of a dark complexion, with sunken eyes, aquiline nose, 
wear long whiskers, and have the beard shaved off above the mouth. 




People of Coloman. (From a Chinese Drawing.) 

They pay great deference to demons, and on that account are sometimes 
called ' Dragons of Lo.' The men bind their hair into a tuft with blue 
cloth and make it fast on the forehead like a horn. Their upper dresses 



342 



THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 



are short, with large sleeves, and their lower garments are fine blue. When 
one of the chieftains dies, all that were under him are assembled together 
clad in armor and on horseback. Having dressed his corpse in silk and 
woollen robes, they burn it in the open country ; then, invoking the 
departed spirit, they inter the ashes. Their attachment to him as their 
sole master is such that nothing can drive or tempt them from their 
allegiance. Their large bows, long spears, and sharp swords are strong and 
well-wrought. They train excellent horses, love archery and hunting ; 
and so expert are they in tactics that their soldiers rank as the best among 
all the uncivilized tribes.' " 



"■ This seems to be almost a reproduction of the words of the 
great Venetian, and leaves little doubt that he had these people 

in mind. And here is a 
picture of the Lolos taken 
from the book I have 
quoted." 

Fred exhibited a draw- 
ing by a Chinese artist 
representing a group of 
men, some mounted and 
some on foot, and all 
armed with spears. They 
were passing around the 
base of a mountain, thus 
indicating that their 
country was not a level 
one, and their features were evidently of Chinese origin. The 
picture was passed around for inspection, and as soon as it re- 
turned Fred resumed his commentaries. 

*' Cuiju," said he, *' is doubtless Kweichau, a province of 
China northeast of Yunnan. 

** Fungul is probably intended for Fungun, which was a city 
of note in the time of Kublai and his immediate successors. 
They have cloth made from the bark of trees in that part of 




Fortified Village in Kweichau 



THE ^'LIONS'' OF CHINA. 



343 



China, just as they have It in other parts of the world ; some of 
these fabrics find their way to Europe and America, where they 
are known as grass-cloths. The ladies will understand its 
character when I tell them it resembles batiste.'' 

'' But they don't have lions in that part of China, do they ? " 
inquired one of the younger members of the audience, who was 




Inhabitants of Southern Yunnan. 



of 



not present at the time Fred told about the so-called " lions 
Mongolia. 

Fred repeated his explanation that by lions Polo undoubtedly 
meant tigers, as there are no lions in any part of the empire un- 
less they have been taken there for exhibition. He further said 
that the great dogs of Kweichau had been seen by several travel- 
lers, and are similar to the dogs we have heard about in Szechwan. 



344 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

''Cacanfu has been identified," continued Fred, ''as Hokianfu 
in Pecheli, and Changlu is supposed to be Tsangchu in the same 
province. Marco is rather tiresome in his frequent allusions to 
cremation, and the use of paper-money, but it is his way of 
saying that the people he is describing are Chinese. Missionaries 
say that salt is still made in the manner described by him. 

'' And now," he concluded, '' we will hear from Charles once 
more." 

Thus appealed to, Charles blushed again and continued his 
reading. 




The Great River Above Chinangli. 

CONCERNING THE CITY OF CHINANGLI, AND THAT OF TADINFU, AND 
THE REBELLION OF LIYTAN. 

Chinangli is a city of Cathay as you go south. There runs through 
the city a great and wide river, on which a large traffic in silk goods and 
spices and other costly merchandize passes up and down. 

When you travel south from Chinangli for five days, you meet every- 
where with fine towns and villages, the people of which live by trade and 
handicrafts, and have all the necessaries of life in great abundance, but 
there is nothing particular to mention on the way till you come, at the 
end of those five days, to Tadinfu. 

This, you must know, is a very great city, and in old times was the 



A GREAT BATTLE. 345 

seat of a great kingdom ; but the Great Kaan conquered it by force of 
arms. Nevertheless it is still the noblest city in all those provinces. There 
are very great merchants here who trade on a great scale, and the abund- 
ance of silk is something marvellous. They have, moreover, most charm- 
ing gardens abounding with fruit of large size. The city of Tadinfu hath 
also under its rule eleven imperial cities of great importance, all of which 
enjoy a large and profitable trade, owing to that immense produce of silk. 

Now, you must know, that in the year 1273, the Great Kaan had sent 
a certain Baron called LlYTAN Sangon, with some 80,000 horse, to this 
province and city to garrison them. And after the said captain had 
tarried there awhile, he formed a disloyal and traitorous plot, and stirred 
up the great men of the province to rebel against the Great Kaan. And 
so they did ; for they broke into revolt against their sovereign lord, and 
refused all obedience to him, and made this Liytan, whom their sovereign 
had sent thither for their protection, to be the chief of their revolt. 

When the Great Kaan heard thereof he straightway despatched two 
of his Barons, one of whom was called Aguil and the other MONGOTAY ; 
giving them 100,000 horse and a great force of infantry. But the affair 
was a serious one, for the Barons were met by the rebel Liyta'n with all 
those whom he had collected from the province, mustering more than 
100,000 horse and a large force of foot. Nevertheless in the battle 
Liytan and his party were utterly routed, and the two Barons whom 
the Emperor had sent won the victory. When the news came to the 
Great Kaan he was right well pleased, and ordered that all the chiefs who 
had rebelled, or excited others to rebel, should be put to a cruel death, 
but that those of lower rank should receive a pardon. And so it was 
done. The two Barons had all the leaders of the enterprise put to a 
cruel death, and all of those of lower rank were pardoned. And thence- 
forward they conducted themselves with loyalty towards their lord. 

CONCERNING THE NOBLE CITY OF SINJUMATU. 

On leaving Tadinfu you travel three days towards the south, always 
finding numbers of noble and populous towns and villages flourishing 
with trade and manufactures. There is also abundance of game in the 
country, and every thing in profusion. 



346 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

When you have travelled those three days you come to the noble city 
of SiNjUMATU, a rich and fine place, with great trade and manufactures. 
The people are subjects of the Great Kaan, and have paper-money, and 
they have a river which I can assure you brings them great gain, and I 
will tell you about it. 

You see the river in question flows from the south to this city of Sin- 
jumatu. And the people of the city have divided this larger river in two, 
making one half of it flow east and the other half flow west ; that is to 
say, the one branch flows towards Manzi and the other towards Cathay. 
And it is a fact that the number of vessels at this city is what no one 
would believe without seeing them. The quantity of merchandize also 
which these vessels transport to Manzi and Cathay is something marvel- 
lous ; and then they return loaded with other merchandize, so that the 
amount of goods borne to and fro on those two rivers is quite astonishing. 

CONCERNING THE CITIES OF LINJU AND PIJU. 

On leaving the city of Sinjumatu you travel for eight days toward 
the south, always coming to great and rich towns and villages flourishing 
with trade and manufactures. At the end of those eight days you come 
to the city of LiNJU, in the province of the same name, of which it is the 
capital. It is a rich and noble city, and the men are good soldiers, nathe- 
less they carry on great trade and manufactures. There is great abun- 
dance of game in both beasts and birds, and all the necessaries of life are 
in profusion. The place stands on the river of which I told you above. 
And they have here great numbers of vessels, even greater than those of 
which I spoke before, and these transport a great amount of costly 
merchandize. 

So, quitting this province and city of Linju, you travel three days 
more towards the south, constantly finding numbers of rich towns and 
villages. These still belong to Cathay and the Great Kaan, whose sub- 
jects they are. This is the finest country for game, whether in beasts or 
birds, that is anywhere to be found, and all the necessaries of life are in 
profusion. 

At the end of those three days you find the city of PlJU, a great, rich, 
and noble city, with large trade and manufactures, and a great production 



THE IMPERIAL CANAL OF CHINA. 347 

of silk. This city stands at the entrance to the gfeat province of Manzi, 
and there reside at it a great number of merchants who despatch carts 
from this place loaded with great quantities of goods to the different 
towns of Manzi. The city brings in a great revenue to the Great Kaan. 

At a sign from the president Charles paused and Fred rose 
to his feet. 

"■ The cities of Chinangli and Yenchau," said Fred, '' are not 
clearly identified, and some of the commentators think Polo has 
confounded one with the other, or possibly the mistake has been 
made by the compilers or copyists of the manuscripts. Colonel 
Yule thinks that the name and position of Chinangli point to 
Tsianfu, the principal city of the province of Shantung. The 
city now called Yenchau formerly bore the name of Taitingfu, 
which is close enough to Polo's spelling to be Tadinfu. Shantung 
was long noted for its produce of silk and the excellence of its 
fruit gardens, so that we have no fault to find with Marco's 
story. 

"■ The account of the rebellion of one of the Chinese generals 
is substantially correct, except that the date should be 1262 
instead of 1273. The Chinese histories say that all but the 
leaders of the rebellion were pardoned, which is not always the 
case in Oriental wars. 

'' We next find mention of what is supposed to be the Im- 
perial Canal of China, " continued Fred. '' It was begun in the 
seventh century of our era, though some of the Chinese histories 
give it an earlier date, and may be said to form a continuous 
water-way from Peking to Canton, a distance in round figures of 
a thousand miles. It was greatly damaged by the Tai-ping 
rebels thirty years ago, and also by the overflowing of the 
,Hoang-ho and its change of course during that wan The 
portion north of the Yang-tse is no longer used, and the southern 
part has never been restored to its former condition. Compared 
with some modern canals it is of no great consequence, but 
certainly it was the grandest work of the time when it was built." 



348 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



" Do we understand," inquired one of the youths, '' that the 
canal was dug out of the earth the whole of the way from Peking 
to Canton ? " 

'' No," was the reply, ''by so understanding you would not 
be correct. The canal connects the rivers and lakes of China in 
such a way as to form a line of water communication, and some- 
times the rivers are utilized for long distances. The northern 
end of the canal is near Tientsin, ninety miles from Peking, and 
between Peking and Tientsin the Pei-ho River forms the communi- 




Junk near the Entrance of the Imperial Canal. 

cation. At the southern end the canal opens into Pearl River, 
which completes the route to Canton, and in various parts of the 
country the rivers and lakes are utilized. But even with these 
advantages the work of building the canal was something which 
reflects great credit upon those who planned and executed the 
enterprise. 

'' Sinjumatu is probably identical with Tsin-ing-Chau, Linju 
with Lint-Ching, and Piju with Pei-Chau. Indeed the descriptions 
answer to them, and the abundance of game about Pei-Chau has 



CHINA'S SORROW. 



349 



been noticed by modern visitors. It is on the east bank of the 
grand canal near its northern end, but has decHned considerably 
since Polo's time. I will anticipate a little here," continued Fred, 
'' by telling you that in what Charles is about to read, you arrive 
once more on the banks of the Caramoran River, or the great 
Hoang-ho. I mentioned a few moments ago the change in the 
course of this stream, which has long borne the name of ' China's 




Foot-Bridge over the Grand Canal, 

Sorrow,' on account of the terrible devastation it has caused. 
Enormous embankments were made to keep the river to its 
channel, but several times in the last twenty centuries it has 
broken out and made a new bed for itself. The most recent 
change was in 1853, when an immense flood broke away the em- 
bankments, covered a large area of country, drowned thousands 
of people, destroyed towns, villages, and farms, and caused un- 



350 



THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 



told suffering. The river left the bed it had followed for six 
centuries and sought a new opening into the Gulf of Pecheli. 
The old channel crossed by Polo is now deserted, or rather it is 
filled with villages and farms, so that the Venetian could not 
recognize the place if he should revisit the earth after his long 
absence." 

With this anticipatory explanation Fred made way for Charles, 
who went on with the narrative. 




View on the Grand Canal above Canton. 



CONCERNING THE CITY OF SIJU, AND THE GREAT RIVER CARAMORAN. 

When you leave Piju you travel toward the south for two days, through 
beautiful districts abounding in every thing, and in which you find quan- 
tities of all kinds of game. At the end of those two days you reach the 
city of SlJU, a great, rich, and noble city, flourishing with trade and 
manufactures. The people possess extensive and fertile plains producing 
abundance of wheat and other grain. 

On leaving Siju you ride south for three days, constantly falling in 



A MILITARY EXPEDITION. 



351 



with fine towns and villages and hamlets and farms, with their cultivated 
lands. There is plenty of wheat and other corn, and of game also. 

At the end of those three days you reach the great river Caramoran, 
which flows hither from Prester John's country. It is a great river, and 
more than a mile in Avidth, and so deep that great ships can navigate it. 
It abounds in fish, and very big ones too. You must know that in this 
river there are some 15,000 vessels, all belonging to the Great Kaan, and 
kept to transport his troops to the 
Indian Isles whenever there may be 
occasion ; for the sea is only one 
day distant from the place we are 
speaking of. And each of these 
vessels, taking one with another, 
will require 20 mariners, and will 
carry 15 horses with the men be- 
longing to them, and their provi- 
sions, arms, and equipments. 

Hither and thither, on either 
bank of the river, stands a town ; 
the one facing the other. The 
one is called COIGANJU and the ^ 
other Caiju ; the former is a large - 
place, and the latter a little one. 
And when you pass this river you •-. .... ... — ''^., :'...,'"" 

enter the great province of Manzi. A Chinese Soldier Exercising with Two Swords. 

HOW THE GREAT KAAN CONQUERED THE PROVINCE OF MANZI. 

There was a king and sovereign lord of the great territory of Manzi 
who was styled FacfuR, so great and puissant a prince, that for vastness 
of wealth and number of subjects and extent of dominion, there was 
hardly a greater in all the earth except the Great Kaan himself. 

In all his dominion there were no horses ; nor were the people 
ever inured to battle or arms, or military service of any kind. Yet 
the province of Manzi is very strong by nature, and all the cities are en- 
compassed by sheets of water of great depth, and more than an arblast- 




352 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO, 

shot in width ; so that the country never would have been lost had 
the people but been soldiers. But that is just what they were not ; 
so lost it was. 

Now it came to pass, in the year 1268, that the Great Kaan, the same 
that now reigneth, despatched thither a Baron of his whose name 
was Bayan Chincsan, which is as much as to say "' Bayan Hundred- 
Eyes." And you must know that the King of Manzi had found in his 
horoscope that he never should lose his kingdom except through a man 
that had an hundred eyes ; so he held himself assured in his position, for 
he could not believe that any man in existence could have an hun- 
dred eyes. There, however, he deluded himself, in his ignorance of the 
name of Bayan. 

This Bayan had an immense force of horse and foot entrusted to him 
by the Great Kaan, and with these he entered Manzi, and he had also a 
great number of boats to carry both horse and foot when need should be. 
And when he, with all his host, entered the territory of Manzi and arrived 
at this city of COIGANJU — whither we now are got, and of which we shall 
speak presently — he summoned the people thereof to surrender to the 
Great Kaan ; but this they flatly refused. On this Bayan went on to 
another city, with the same result, and then still went forward ; act- 
ing thus because he was aware that the Great Kaan was despatching 
another great host to follow him up. 

What shall I say then ? He advanced to five cities in succession, but 
got possession of none of them ; for he did not wish to engage in be- 
sieging them, and they would not give themselves up. But when he 
came to the sixth city he took that by storm, and so with a second, and 
a third, and a fourth, until he had taken twelve cities in succession. And 
when he had taken all these he advanced straight against the capital 
city of the kingdom, which was called KiNSAY, and which Avas the 
residence of the King and Queen. 

And when the King beheld Bayan coming with all his host, he was in 
great dismay, as one unused to see such sights. So he and a great com- 
pany of his people got on board a thousand ships and fled to the islands 
of the Ocean Sea, whilst the Queen who remained behind in the city 
took all measures in her power for its defence, like a valiant lady. 



CHINESE CUSTOMS. 353 

Now it came to pass that the Queen asked what was the name of the 
captain of the host, and they told her that it was Bayan Hundred-Eyes. 
So when she wist that he was styled Hundred-Eyes, she called to mind 
how their astrologers had foretold that a man of an hundred eyes should 
strip them of the kingdom. Wherefore she gave herself up to Bayan, 
and surrendered to him the whole kingdom and all the other cities and 
fortresses, so that no resistance was made. And in sooth this was a 
goodly conquest, for there was no realm on earth half so wealthy. The 
amount that the King used to expend was perfectly marvellous ; and as 
an example I will tell you somewhat of his liberal acts. 

In those provinces they are wont to expose their new-born babes; I 
speak of the poor, who have not the means of bringing them up. But 
the King used to have all those foundlings taken charge of, and had note 
made of the signs and planets under which each was born, and then put 
them out to nurse about the country. And when any rich man was 
childless he would go to the King and obtain from him as many of these 
children as he desired. Or, when the children grew up, the King would 
make up marriages among them, and provide for the couples from his 
own purse. In this manner he used to provide for some 20,000 boys and 
girls every year. 

I will tell you another thing this King used to do. If he was taking a 
ride through the city and chanced to see a house that was very small and 
poor standing among other houses that were fine and large, he would ask 
why it was so, and they would tell him it belonged to a poor man who 
had not the means to enlarge it. Then the King would himself supply 
the means. And thus it came to pass that in all the capital of the king- 
dom of-Manzi, Kinsay by name, you should not see any but fine houses. 

This King used to be waited on by more than a thousand young 
gentlemen and ladies, all clothed in the richest fashion. And he ruled 
his realm with such justice that no malefactors were to be found therein. 
Th'" city in fact was so secure that no man closed his doors at night, not 
even in houses and shops that were full of all sorts of rich merchandize. 
No one could do justice in the telling to the great riches of that country, 
and to the good disposition of the people. Now that I have told you 
about the kingdom, I will go back to the Queen. 



354 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO, 

You must know that she was conducted to the Great Kaan, who gave 
her an honorable reception, and caused her to be served with all state, 
like a great lady as she was. But as for the King her husband, he never 
more did quit the isles of the sea to which he had fled, but died there. So 
leave we him and his wife and all their concerns, and let us return to our 
story, and go on regularly with our account of the great province of 
Manzi and of the manners and customs of its people. And, to begin at 
the beginning, we must go back to the city of Coiganju, from which we 
digressed to tell you about the conquest of Manzi. 

CONCERNING THE CITY OF COIGANJU. 

Coiganju is, as I have told you already, a very large city standing at 
the entrance to Manzi. The people have a vast amount of shipping, as I 
mentioned before in speaking of the River Caramoran. And an immense 
quantity of merchandize comes hither, for the city is the seat of govern- 
ment for this part of the country. Owing to its being on the river, 
many cities send their produce thither to be again thence distributed in 
every direction. A great amount of salt also is made here, furnishing 
some forty other cities with that article, and bringing in a large revenue 
to the Great Kaan. 

OF THE CITIES OF PAUKIN AND CAYU. 

When you leave Coiganju you ride south-east for a day along a cause- 
way laid with fine stone, which you find at this entrance to Manzi. On 
either hand there is a great expanse of water, so that you cannot enter the 
province except along this causeway. At the end of the day's journey 
you reach the fine city of Paukin. The people live by trade and manu- 
factures and have great abundance of silk, whereof they weave a great 
variety of fine stuffs of silk and gold. Of all the necessaries of life there 
is great store. 

When you leave Paukin you ride another day to the south-east, and 
then you arrive at the city of Cayu. The people live by trade and manu- 
factures and have great store of all necessaries, including fish in great 
abundance. There is also much game, both beast and bird, insomuch 
that for a Venice groat you can have three ^ood pheasants. 



AN INTERESTING JOURNEY. 



355 



OF THE CITIES OF TIJU, TINJU, AND YANJU. 
When you leave Cayu, you ride another day to the south-east through 
a constant succession of villages and fields and fine farms until you come 
to Tiju, which is a city of no great size but abounding in every thing. 
There is a great amount 
of trade, and they have 
many vessels. And you 
must know that on your 
left hand, that is toward 
the east, and three days' 
journey distant, is the 
Ocean Sea. At every 
place between the sea and 
the city salt is made in 
great quantities. And 
there is a rich and noble 
city called TiNju, at 
which there is produced 
salt enough to supply the 
whole province, and I 
can tell you it brings the 
Great Kaan an incredible 
revenue. 

Again, leaving Tiju, 
you ride another day to- 
wards the south-east, and 
at the -end of your jour- 
ney you arrive at the very 
great and noble city of 
Yanju, which has seven- 
and-twenty other wealthy 
cities under its admin- River Landscape. (From a Chine-se Drawing.) 

istration ; so that this Yanju is, you see, a city of great importance. It 
is the seat of one of the Great Kaan's Twelve Barons, for it has been 
chosen to be one of the Twelve Sings. And Messer Marco Polo himself, 




356 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO, 



of whom this book speaks, did govern this city for three full years, by the 
order of the Great Kaan. The people live by trade and manufactures, 
for a great amount of harness for knights and men-at-arms is made there. 
And in this city and its neighborhood a large number of troops are 
stationed by the Kaan's orders. 

Now I will tell you about two great provinces of Manzi which lie 
towards the west. And first of that called Nanghin. 




View on the Min River, near Foo-Cliow. 

''There is, no doubt, some confusion in your minds," said 
Fred as soon as Charles paused, '' concerning the province of 
Manzi, which was conquered by the Great Khan. We have 
already spoken of the Manzi, a wild tribe on the upper waters of 
the Yang-tse-Kiang, but the present reference is to quite another 
people. Mantzu or Mantze means ' barbarians,' or ' sons of 
barbarians,' and was applied to the people of Southern China by 
the Northern Chinese, who claimed to have the superior civili- 
zation. The name is retained in Manjouria, where the Chinese 



CAPTAIN SCOTT S COON. y^-j 

immigrants are called Mantszi, and it is said to have descended 
from the time of Kublai Khan. 

*' In the description of the conquest which Charles has just 
read we have the story of the subjugation of Southern China by 
the Mongols. Facfur or Fagfur was a name applied by old Per- 
sian writers to the Emperor of China ; it is a near translation 
of the Chinese appellation for their sovereign, ' The Son of 
Heaven,' as Fag-Fur means ' Son of the Divinity.' Bayan signi- 
fies * great ' or ' noble,' but Bayan Chincsan cannot be translated 
into ' Baron Hundred-Eyes,' as Polo gives it. The Chinese 
equivalent of Bayan is Pe-ye7i, and this might be rendered into 
' Hundred-Eyes ' by means of a trifling pun. The story is a 
pretty one, and reminds us of the prophecy of the w^itches to 
Macbeth about Birnam Wood coming to Dunsinane before he 
should be conquered." 

'' And it is also a reminder," interrupted the doctor, '' of the 
story of Captain Scott's encounter with the coon. 

'' The elders of the audience are probably familiar with the 
incident, but it may be new to some of the juveniles. Captain 
Scott was a famous hunter in the West, and had the reputation 
of being an unerring shot with the rifle. 

'' One day he was out hunting in the woods, and saw a coon 
among the limbs of a tree. As he raised his rifle to fire, the 
animal called out : 

'' ' Hold on there ; are you Captain Scott ? ' 

'' ' Yes,' said the captain, ' I am.' 

" ' Well then, don't shoot,' said the coon, ' I '11 come down at 
once. 

There was a hearty laugh all around at this anecdote, and 
when it was over the doctor said : '' ' I '11 come right down, like 
Captain Scott's coon,' had passed into a proverb, but is now 
somewhat out of date." 

'' And did the coon really come down ? " inquired one of the 
younger members of the Society. 

*' History is silent on that point," replied the doctor, " and we 



358 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



are left In doubt concerning It. The story always stops with the 
offer to descend." 

There was another laugh, and It was quite as hearty as the 
first. The llteral-mlnded youth blushed and had no more ques- 
tions to ask. Fred continued his comments upon the conquest 
of Manzl, by saying that '' while the story might be regarded as 
generally correct, It was full of errors of detail. The emperor 
was only four years old at the time of Bayan's advance ; the em- 
press regent surrendered without opposition, and was carried with 
her young son to Kublal's capital. 

'' You observe what Polo says about the exposure of Infants 
in China. Dr. Doollttle and other writers say that the practice 

is still prevalent, though 
many Chinese and some for- 
eigners deny It. The Infants 
exposed are almost Invaria- 
bly girls, and the children of 
poor people. Boys are rarely 
disposed of In this way, as 
they are considered a valu- 
able addition to a family. 
Dr. Doollttle says that every 
year great numbers of Infant 
girls are destroyed by their 
parents to save the expense 
of rearing them ; In Foo-Chow he was told by Intelligent Chinese 
that about half the families In that city destroy their female child- 
ren with the exception of one or two ! The same was the case 
In the country districts around Foo-Chow and In other parts of 
Southern China." 

'' But does not the Government punish those wicked people 
who kill their children ? " one of the audience inquired. 

'' Very little attention Is paid to the matter by the Govern- 
ment," Fred answered, " though there Is a pretence of preventing 
infanticide. Dr. Doollttle says no measures are ever taken to 




Countrywoman of Foo-Chow. 



IDENTIFICA TION OF PLACES. 



359 



find out and punish the murderers of their own infants. The 
practice is not sanctioned by the Government, and occasional 
proclamations are issued against it, but it is tolerated and acqui- 
esced in by the mandarins and all the lower officials. The edu- 
cated classes in China have made public remonstrances against it, 
and the teachings of the missionaries have done a great deal of 
good, but there is yet a chance for a vast improvement in the 
moral tone of the poor 
people of the country." 
'' We will briefly dis- 
pose of the cities men- 
toned by Polo. Coig- 
anju is the modern 
Hwai-ngan-Chau, and 
salt is still made there ; 
P a u k i n is Pao-Yng ; 
Cayu is Kao-Yu ; Tiju 
is Tai-Chau ; Tinju is 
Tung-Chow, and Yanju 
is Yung-Chow. The 
latter is one of the oldest 
and most famous great 
cities of China ; it suf- 
fered greatly in the 
Taiping rebellion, but 
is rapidly recovering in 
consequence of its im- 

. ' '1 Pagoda at Tung-Chow. 

portant commercial po- ^ ^ 

sition. Tung-Chow may be called the port of Peking, as it is 
there the navigation of the Pei-ho River comes to an end. It 
is twelve miles from Tung-Chow to the capital ; boats may go 
through the canal to the walls of the city, but travellers generally 
leave their water conveyance at Tung-Chow, and proceed on 
horseback or in sedan chairs. 

" Our usual allowance of time has expired," said Fred, glancing 




360 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO, 



at the clock, ''and I presume Charles is willing to postpone further 
reading until the next meeting, when you will learn something 
about Nanghin." 

The usual motions for closing the session were made, and in a 
very few moments the hum of busy conversation through the 
room told very plainly that all formal business was over. 




An Oriental Maid-Servant. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

The Yang-tse-Kiang and Cities along its Banks — Navigation of the Great River of China — Enor- 
mous Fleets of Boats — Artillery before the Invention of Gunpowder — Various Machines for 
Hurling Stones and Other Projectiles — The Great City of Kinsay — An Animated Picture — 
The Capital of Southern China Six Centuries Ago. 

At the next meeting Frank was present in the audience, but, 
though his voice had greatly improved, he decHned to read, and 
requested Charles to continue to act in his stead. The latter 
hesitated for a while, but his scruples were soon overcome ; 
probably the commendations he received upon his first attempt 
had something to do with the promptness of his decision. He 
had taken the precaution to go carefully over the part of the 
narrative that would come up for consideration, and therefore 
was not unprepared. As soon as the meeting was called to 
order and quiet had been secured he opened the book and read, 
as had been promised, the account of Nanghin and other cities. 

CONCERNING THE CITY OF NANGHIN. 

Nanghin is a very noble Province towards the west. The people 
have silk in great abundance, and they weave many fine tissues of silk and 
gold. They have all sorts of corn and victuals very cheap, for the 
province is a most productive one. Game also is abundant, and lions too 
are found there. The merchants are great and opulent, and the Emperor 
draws a large revenue from them, in the shape of duties on the goods 
which they buy and sell. 

And now I will tell you of the very noble city of Saianfu, which well 
deserves a place in our book, for there is a matter of great moment to tell 
about it. 

CONCERNING THE VERY NOBLE CITY OF SAIANFU, AND HOW ITS CAPTURE 

WAS EFFECTED. 

Saianfu is a very great and noble city, and it rules over twelve other 
large and rich cities, and is itself a seat of great trade and manufacture. 

361 



362 



THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 



Now you must know that this city held out against the Great Kaan 
for three years after the rest of Manzi had surrendered. The Great 
Kaan's troops made incessant attempts to take it, but they could not suc- 
ceed because of the great and deep waters that were round about it, so 
that they could approach from one side only, which was the north. And 
I tell you they never would have taken it, but for a circumstance that I 
am going to relate. 

You must know that when the Great Kaan's host had lain three years 
before the city without being able to take it, they were greatly chafed 




Ancient Chinese Tomb. 

thereat. Then Messer Nicolo Polo and Messer Maffeo and Messer Marco 
said : " "VVe could find you a way of forcing the city to surrender 
speedily ; " whereupon those of the army replied, that they would be right 
glad to know how that should be. All this talk took place in the presence 
of the Great Kaan. For messengers had been despatched from the camp 
to tell him that there was no taking the city by blockade, for it con- 
tinually received supplies of victual from those sides which they were un- 
able to invest ; and the Great Kaan had sent back word that take it they 



ARTILLERY OF THE MIDDLE AGES. 363 

must, and find a way how. Then spoke up the two brothers and Messer 
Marco, the son, and said : " Great Prince, we have with us among our 
followers men who are able to construct mangonels which shall cast such 
great stones that the garrison will never be able to stand them, but will 
surrender incontinently, as soon as the mangonels or trebuchets shall have 
shot into the town." 

The Kaan bade them with all his heart have such mangonels made as 
speedily as possible. Now Messer Nicolo and his brother and his son im- 
mediately caused timber to be brought, as much as they desired, and fit for 
the work in hand. And they had two men among their followers, a German 
and a Nestorian Christian, who were masters of that business, and these they 
directed to construct two or three mangonels capable of casting stones of 
300 lbs. weight. Accordingly they made three fine mangonels, each of 
which cast stones of 300 lbs. weight and more. And when they were 
complete and ready for use, the Emperor and the others were greatly 
pleased to see them, and caused several stones to be shot in their 
presence ; whereat they marvelled greatly and greatly praised the work. 
And the Kaan ordered that the engines should be carried to his army 
which was at the leaguer of Saianfu. 

And when the engines were got to the camp they were forthwith set 
up, to the great admiration of the Tartars. And what shall I tell you ? 
When the engines were set up and put in gear, a stone was shot from 
each of them into the town. These took effect among the buildings, 
crashing and smashing through every thing with huge din and commo- 
tion. And when the townspeople witnessed this new and strange visita- 
tion they were so astonished and dismayed that they wist not what to do 
or say. _ They took counsel together, but no counsel could be suggested 
how to escape from these engines, for the thing seemed to them to be done 
by sorcery. They declared that they were all dead men if they yielded not, 
so they determined to surrender on such conditions as they could get. 

So the men of the city surrendered, and were received to terms ; and 
this all came about through the exertions of Messer Nicolo, and Messer 
Maffeo, and Messer Marco ; and it was no small matter. For this city 
and province is one of the best that the Great Kaan possesses, and brings 
him in great revenues. 



3^4 



THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 



CONCERNING THE CITY OF SINJU AND THE GREAT RIVER KIAN. 

When you leave the city of Yanju, after going 15 miles south-east, 
you come to a city called SiNJU, of no great size, but possessing a very 
great amount of shipping and trade. It stands on the greatest river in 
the world, the name of which is KlAN. It is in some places ten miles 
wide, in others eight, in others six, and it is more than 100 days' journey 
in length from one end to the other. This it is that brings so much 
trade to the city we are speaking of ; for on the waters of that river 
merchandize is perpetually coming and going, from and to the various 

parts of the world, enriching 
the city, and bringing a great 
revenue to the Great Kaan. 

And I assure you this river 
flows so far and traverses so 
many countries and cities that 
in good sooth there pass and 
repass on its waters a great 
number of vessels, and more 
wealth and merchandize than on 
all the rivers and all the seas of 
Christendom put together ! It 

Traveller's Boat on Upper Part of the Yang-tse. • j j ti o 

^^ ^ seems mdeed more like a Sea 

than a River. Messer Marco Polo said that he once beheld at that 
city 15,000 vessels at one time. And you may judge, if this city, of no 
great size, has such a number, how many must there be altogether, con- 
sidering that on the banks of this river there are more than sixteen prov- 
inces and more than 200 great cities, besides towns and villages, all 
possessing vessels ? 

Messer Marco Polo aforesaid tells us that he heard from the officer 
employed to collect the Great Kaan's duties on this river that there passed 
up-stream 200,000 vessels in the year, without counting those that passed 
down ! Indeed as it has a course of such great length, and receives so 
many other navigable rivers, it is no wonder that the merchandize which 
is borne on it is of vast amount and value. And the article in largest 




CHINESE RIVER NA VIGA TION. 365 

quantity of all is salt, which is carried by this river and its branches to all 
the cities on their banks, and thence to the other cities in the interior. 

The vessels which ply on this river are decked. They have but one 
mast, but they are of great burthen, for I can assure you they carry, 
reckoning by our weight, from 4000 to 12,000 cantars each. In going up- 
stream they have to be tracked, for the current is so strong that they 
could not make head in any other manner. Now the tow-line, which is 
some 300 paces in length, is made of nothing but cane. 'T is in this way: 
they have those great canes of w^hich I told you before that they are some 
fifteen paces in length ; these they take and split from end to end into 
many slender strips, and then they twist these strips together so as to 
make a rope of any length they please. And the ropes so made are 
stronger than if they were made of hemp. 

There are at many places on this river hills and rocky eminences on 
which the idol-monasteries and other edifices are built ; and you find 
on its shores a constant succession of villages and inhabited places. 

''The great and noble city of Saianfu," said Fred, *'is the 
modern Siangyangfu on the south bank of the river Han 
and opposite to Fanching. It was captured by Kublai Khan 
in Polo's time, but according to the Chinese historians the date 
of its reduction was previous to Marco's arrival in the emperor's 
dominions. It may be that the engines in question were made 
under the direction of Marco's father and uncle, or perhaps 
the Chinese date is wrong and our hero actually took part in the 
capture. And if he was not there in person he is not the 
only military man who has claimed a part in a siege with 
which Tie had nothing to do. 

" The mangonels, that cast stones weighing three hun- 
dred pounds each, were the artillery in use before the inven- 
tion of gunpowder ; they were common enough in Europe 
and among the Saracens, and some forms of them had already 
been employed by the Chinese. The Greeks and Romans had 
engines of this sort, and the ingenuity of men seems to have been 
devoted to the invention of powerful machines for destroying the 



366 



THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 



walls of cities, or throwing missiles into an enemy's camp, or a 
besieged place, just as it is now directed to the construction 
of weapons in which gunpowder or other explosives are the 
active agents. The best known of these engines were the balista, 
catapult, arbaleste, scorpion, and onager. They depended for 
their propulsive force upon the elasticity of wood or metals, 
upon men pulling at ropes, or on heavy weights placed at the 
ends of levers. The subject is interesting for some of the 




Mediaeval Artillery. Figs, i, 2, 3, 4, 5, Chinese ; 6, 7, 8, Saracenic ; the rest Frank. 

audience, but not for all ; I will show you at the close of our 
evening's entertainment the drawings of some of these machines, 
and you may then study them at your leisure. They will be 
found in most of the encyclopedias, and if you wish further 
information about them I am sure Dr. Allen can refer you to 
special books on the subject." 

True to his promise Fred exhibited, immediately after the 
adjournment of the meeting, the drawings of the machines in 
question. He further explained that the most powerful of them 



THE GREA T RIVER OF CHINA. 367 

were far less effective than the most ordinary cannon, and that it 
is no wonder they all became obsolete as soon as gunpowder 
came into use. 

" We will leave the siege and its military engines," said Fred, 
'•and come to the city of Sinju and the great river Kian. The 
city is the modern I-Chin and the river the Yang-tse-Kiang. You 
may think Marco exaggerates when he calls it the greatest 
river of the world, but bear in mind that America was not then 
discovered and the Mississippi and Amazon were unknown. It 
was the greatest known river in Polo's day, and while he shoots 
above the mark in speaking of its width he is within bounds 
about its length. Its Chinese name means ' Ocean River,' and 
the Mongols call it * Dalai,'' or ' The Sea.' The Chinese have a 
proverb : ' Hai vu ping, Kiang vu ti\- — possibly some of you 
may not understand the language thoroughly, and I will explain 
that it means ' Boundless is the Ocean, bottomless the Kiang ! ' 

''As to the commerce of the great river, I don't think Marco 
has overstated the case, nor would any of you if you should 
make the voyage from Shanghai to Hankow and back again 
on one of the great steamers now running there. Perhaps Dr. 
Allen will tell us about it." 

" I have been on a great many rivers of the world," said the 
doctor in response to the request, "and have never seen any- 
where half as many boats in a single day as on the Yang-tse. 
From the time you leave Shanghai till you reach Hankow there 
are dozens and sometimes hundreds of them constantly in sight, 
and at all the towns and cities they are tied up to the bank 
for a long distance, three or four of them against each other. 
At Hankow there is a front on the two rivers — the Yang-tse and 
the Han — of five or six miles, and all this distance was lined 
with boats. 

" Most of you have seen Boston or New York bay in a pleas- 
ant afternoon in summer when all boats that could sail were 
out for an airing, Well, imagine this great river for hundreds of 
miles dotted with sails as thickly as are those bays at the time I 



368 



THE TRAVELS CF MARCO POLO. 



speak of, and you can form an idea of the native commerce 
on the Yang-tse. No census of the boats Is ever taken, and con- 
sequently nobody knows their number. I asked a Chinese 
merchant who was a fellow-traveller with me on the steamer, how 
many boats were engaged In navigating the Yang-tse and its 
tributaries, and the only answer I received was • 




Boat Used by OfiRcials and Their Families. 

" ' P'raps hunder tousand, p'raps million ; nobody don't know.' 
Another said : ' Great many big million,' and though his statement 
is indefinite It may not be far out of the w^ay. 

*'The bamboo ropes which Polo m.entlons are not used 
for towing to the extent he describes, and you are more likely 
to see them on the canals than on the rivers. But they make 
ropes of bamboo as In his day ; all along the river you see 
scaffolds, thirty or forty feet high, with a man working on 
the top. He carries the strips of bamboo to the scaffold and 



ISLAND MONASTERIES IN THE YANG-TSE. 369 

then braids them into a rope, which hangs down with its own 
weight and coils on the ground below." 

The doctor sat down and Fred called Charles to his feet with 
the explanation that he had nothing to add to what they had 
heard about the great river of China. ''With this exception," 
he continued, ''that the island monasteries still exist, but the 
towns and villages are less numerous than formerly, owing to the 
ravages of the Taiping rebels and their imperial conquerors. 
Frequently the imperialists destroyed what the rebels had left, 
and between the armies of both the people suffered terribly." 

Before resuming his reading Charles announced that the next 
chapter contained a more de- 
tailed reference to the grand 
canal than the one already 
noticed. Caiju, he said, was 
the modern Kwachau at the 
entrance to the northern sec- 
tion of the Imperial Canal from 
the Yang-tse. The island 
monastery opposite Kwachau 
is the famous Golden Island, 

, . , . . . 1 . Golden Island. 

which remams a vivid picture 

in the memory of every traveller on the great river. 

CONCERNING THE CITY OF CAIJU. 

Caiju is a small city towards the south-east and stands upon the river 
before mentioned. At this place are collected great quantities of corn and 
rice to be transported to the great city of Cambaluc for the use of the 
Kaan's Court ; for the grain for the Court all comes from this part of the 
country. The Emperor hath caused a water-communication to be made 
from this city to Cambaluc, in the shape of a wide and deep channel dug 
between stream and stream, between lake and lake, forming as it were a 
great river on which large vessels can ply. And thus there is a commu- 
nication all the way from this city of Caiju to Cambaluc ; so that great 
vessels with their loads can go the whole way. A land road also exists, 




3;o THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

for the earth dug from those channels has been thrown up so as to form 
an embanked road on either side. 

Just opposite to the city of Caiju, in the middle of the river, there 
stands a rocky island on which there is an idol-monastery containing some 
200 idolatrous friars, and a vast number of idols. And this Abbey holds 
supremacy over a number of other idol-monasteries, just hke an arch- 
bishop's see among Christians. 

Now we will leave this and cross the river, and I will tell you of a 
city called Chinghianfu. 

OF THE CITY OF CHINGHIANFU. 

Chinghianfu is a city of Manzi. The people live by handicrafts and 
trade, and have plenty of silk, from which they make sundry kinds of 

stuffs of silk and gold. There are great 
and wealthy merchants in the place ; 
plenty of game is to be had, and of all 
kinds of victual. 

There are in this city two churches 
of Nestorian Christians which were 
established in the year 1278 ; and I will 
tell you how that happened. You see 
in the year just named, the Great 
Kaan sent a Baron of his whose name 
was Mar Sarghis, a Nestorian Chris- 
Little Orphan Rock in Yang-Tse. ^^^^^ ^^ ^^ governor of this city for 

three years. And during the three years that he abode there he caused 
these two Christian churches to be built, and since then there they are. 
But before his time there was no church, neither were there any Christians. 

OF THE CITY OF CHINGINJU AND THE SLAUGHTER OF CERTAIN 

ALANS THERE. 

Leaving the city of Chinghianfu and travelling three days south-east 
through a constant succession of busy and thriving towns and villages, 
you arrive at the great and noble city of CHINGINJU. The people live by. 
trade and handicrafts, and have plenty of silk. They have also abun- 




HOW A CITY WAS CAPTURED. 371 

dance of game, and of all manner of victuals, for it is a most productive 
territory. 

Now I must tell you of an evil deed that was done, once upon a time, 
by the people of this city, and how dearly they paid for it. 

You see, at the time of the conquest of the great province of Manzi, 
when Bayan was in command, he sent a company of his troops, consisting 
of a people called Alans, who are Christians, to take this city. They took 
it accordingly, and when they had made their way in, they lighted upon 
some good wine. Of this they drank until they were all drunk, and then 
they lay down and slept soundly. When night fell, the townspeople fell 
upon them and slew them all ; not a man escaped. 

And when Bayan heard that the townspeople had thus treacherously 
slain his men, he sent another Admiral of his with a great force, and 
stormed the city, and put the whole of the inhabitants to the sword ; not 
a man of them escaped death. And thus the whole population of that 
city was exterminated. 

OF THE NOBLE CITY OF SUJU. 

SujU is a very great and noble city, and has a circuit of some 60 
miles ; it hath merchants of great wealth and an incalculable number of 
people. Indeed, if the men of this city and of the rest of Manzi had but 
the spirit of soldiers they would conquer the world ; but they are no 
soldiers at all, only accomplished traders and most skilful craftsmen. 
There are also in this city many philosophers and leeches, diligent 
students of nature. 

And you must know that in this city there are 6000 bridges, all of 
stone, and so lofty that a galley, or even two galleys at once, could pass 
underneath one of them. 

In the mountains belonging to this city, rhubarb and ginger grow in 
great abundance ; insomuch that you may get some 40 pounds of excel- 
lent fresh ginger for a Venice groat. And the city has sixteen other 
great trading cities under its rule. The name of the city, Suju, signifies 
in our tongue, " Earth," and that of another near it, of which we shall 
speak presently, called Kinsay, signifies "■ Heaven " ; and these names are 
given because of the great splendor of the two cities. 



372 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



Now let us quit Suju, and go on to another which is called VujU, one 
day's journey distant ; it is a great and fine city, rife with trade and 
manufactures. But as there is nothing more to say of it we shall go on 
and I will tell you of another great and noble city called VUGHIN. The 
people possess much silk and other merchandize, and they are expert 
traders and craftsmen. Let us now quit Vughin and tell you of another 
city called Changan, a great and rich place. The people make great 
quantities of sendal of different kinds, and they have much game in the 
neighborhood. 

DESCRIPTION OF THE GREAT CITY OF KINSAY, WHICH IS THE CAPITAL 
OF THE WHOLE COUNTRY OF MANZI. 

When you have left the city of Changan and have travelled for three 
days through a splendid country, passing a number of towns and villages, 

you arrive at the most 
noble city of KiNSAY, a 
name which is as much as 
to say in our tongue, 
" The City of Heaven," 
as I told you before. 

And since we have got 
thither I will enter into 
Silver Island, Yang-tse-Kiang. particulars about its mag- 

nificence ; and these are well worth the telling, for the city is beyond 
dispute the finest and the noblest in the world. In this we shall speak 
according to the written statement which the Queen of this Realm sent 
to Bayan the conqueror of the country for transmission to the Great 
Kaan, in order that he might be aware of the surpassing grandeur of the 
city and might be moved to save it from destruction or injury. I will tell 
you all the truth as it was set down in that document. For truth it was, 
as the said Messer Marco Polo at a later date was able to witness with his 
own eyes. And now we shall rehearse those particulars. 

First and foremost, then, the document stated the city of Kinsay to 
be so great that it hath an hundred miles of compass. And there are in 
it twelve thousand bridges of stone, for the most part so lofty that a 




A DENSE POPULA TION. 



373 



great fleet could pass beneath them. And let no man marvel that there 
are so many bridges, for you see the whole city stands as it were in the 
water and surrounded by water, so that a great many bridges are required 
to give free passage about it. And though the bridges be so high the 
approaches are so well contrived that carts and horses do cross them. 

The document aforesaid also went on to state that there were in this 
city twelve guilds of the different crafts, and that each guild had i2,ooo 
houses in the occupation of its workmen. Each of these houses contains 
at least 12 men, whilst some contain 20 and some 40, — not that these are 
all masters, but inclusive of the journeymen who work under the masters. 




Men Working at their Trades. 

And yet all of these craftsmen had full occupation, for many other cities 
of the kingdom are supplied from this city with what they require. 

The document aforesaid also stated that the number and wealth of 
the merchants, and the amount of goods that passed through their hands, 
were so enormous that no man could form a just estimate thereof. And I 
should have told you with regard to those masters of the different crafts 
who are at the head of such houses as I have mentioned, that neither 
they nor their wnves ever touch a piece of work with their own hands, 
but live as nicely and delicately as if they were kings and queens. The 
wives indeed are most dainty and angelical creatures ! Moreover it was 



374 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

an ordinance laid down by the King that every man should follow his 
father's business and no other, no matter if he possessed 100,000 bezants. 

Inside the city there is a lake which has a compass of some 30 miles ; 
and all round it are erected beautiful palaces and mansions, of the richest 
and most exquisite structure that you can imagine, belonging to the no- 
bles of the city. There are also on its shores many abbeys and churches 
of the Idolaters. In the middle of the Lake are two Islands, on each of 
which stands a rich, beautiful, and spacious edifice, furnished in such 
style as to se^m fit for the palace of an Emperor. And when any one of 
the citizens desired to hold a marriage feast, or to give any other enter- 
tainment, it used to be done at one of these palaces. And every thing 
would be found there ready to order, such as silver plate, trenchers, and 
dishes, napkins and table-cloths, and whatever else was needful. The 
King made this provision for the gratification of his people, and the place 
was open to every one who desired to give an entertainment. Sometimes 
there would be at these palaces an hundred different parties ; some hold- 
ing a banquet, others celebrating a wedding ; and yet all would find good 
accommodation in the different apartments and pavilions, and that in so 
well ordered a manner that one party was never in the way of another. 

The houses of the city are provided with lofty towers of stone in 
which articles of value are stored for fear of fire ; for most of the houses 
themselves are of timber, and fires are very frequent in the city. 

The people are Idolaters ; and since they were conquered by the 
Great Kaan they use paper-money. Both men and women are fair and 
comely, and for the most part clothe themselves in silk, so vast is the 
supply of that material, both from the whole district of Kinsay, and from 
the imports by traders from other provinces. And you must know they 
eat every kind of flesh, even that of dogs and other unclean beasts, which 
nothing would induce a Christian to eat. 

Since the Great Kaan occupied the city he has ordained that each of 
the 12,000 bridges should be provided with a guard of ten men, in case 
of any disturbance, or of any being so rash as to plot treason or insurrec- 
tion against him. Each guard is provided with a hollow instrument of 
wood and with a metal basin, and with a time-keeper to enable them to 
know the hour of the day or night. And so when one hour of the night 



CHINESE POLICE REGULATIONS. 



375 



is past the sentry strikes one on the wooden instrument and on the basin 
so that the whole quarter of the city is made aware that one hour of the 
night is gone. At the second hour he gives two strokes, and so on, keep- 
ing always wide awake and on the look out. In the morning again, from 
the sunrise, they begin to count anew, and strike one hour as they did in 
the night, and so on hour after hour. 

Part of the watch patrols the quarter, to see if any light or fire is 
burning after the lawful hours ; if they find any they mark the door, and 
in the morning the owner is sum- 
moned before the magistrates, and 
unless he can plead a good excuse 
he is punished. Also if they find any 
one going about the streets at unlaw- 
ful hours they arrest him, and in the 
morning they bring him before the 
magistrates. Likewise if in the day 
time they find any poor cripple un- 
able to work for his livelihood, they 
take him to one of the hospitals, of 
which there are many, founded by 
the ancient kings, and endowed with 
great revenues. Or if he be capable 
of work they oblige him to take up 
some trade. If they see that any 
house has caught fire they immedi- 
ately beat upon that wooden instru- 
ment to give the alarm, and this brings 
together the watchmen from the 
other bridges to help to extinguish it, and to save the goods of the mer- 
chant or others, either by removing them to the towers above mentioned, 
or by putting them in boats and transporting them to the islands in the 
lake. For no citizen dares leave his house at night, or to come near the 
fire ; only those who own the property, and those watchmen who flock to 
help, of whom there shall come one or two thousand at the least. 

Moreover, within the city there is an eminence on which stands a 




Lantern from Hangchau. 



376 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

Tower, and at the top of the tower is hung a slab of wood. Whenever 
fire or any other alarm breaks out in the city a man who stands there 
with a mallet in his hand beats upon the slab, making a noise that is 
heard to a great distance. So when the blows upon this slab are heard, 
everybody is aware that fire has broken out, or that there is some other 
cause of alarm. 

The Kaan watches this city with especial diligence, because it forms 
the head of all Manzi ; and because he has an immense revenue from the 
duties levied on the transactions of trade therein, the amount of which is 
such that no one would credit it on mere hearsay. 

All the streets of the city are paved with stone or brick, as indeed 
are all the highways throughout Manzi, so that you ride and travel in 
every direction without inconvenience. Were it not for this pavement 
you could not do so, for the country is very low and flat, and after rain 
't is deep in mire and water. But as the Great Kaan's couriers could not 
gallop their horses over the pavement, the side of the road is left unpaved 
for their convenience. The pavement of the main street of the city also is 
laid out in two parallel ways of ten paces in width on either side, leaving 
a space in the middle laid with fine gravel, under which are vaulted 
drains which convey the rain water into the canals ; and thus the road is 
kept ever dry. 

You must know also that the city of Kinsay has some 3000 baths, the 
water of which is supplied by springs. They are hot baths, and the 
people take great delight in them, frequenting them several times a 
month, for they are very cleanly in their persons. They are the finest 
and largest baths in the world ; large enough for 100 persons to bathe 
together. 

And the Ocean Sea comes within 25 miles of the city at a place called 
Ganfu, where there is a town and an excellent haven, with a vast 
amount of shipping which is engaged in the traffic to and from India and 
other foreign parts, exporting and importing many kinds of wares, by 
which the city benefits. And a great river flows from the city of Kinsay 
to that sea haven, by which vessels can come up to the city itself. This 
river extends also to other places further inland. 

Know also that the Great Kaan hath distributed the territory of 



ASTROLOGY AND CREMATION. 377 

Manzi into nine parts, which he hath constituted into nine kingdoms. 
To each of these kingdoms a king is appointed who is subordinate to the 
Great Kaan, and every year renders the accounts of his kingdom to the 
fiscal ofifice at the capital. This city of Kinsay is the seat of one of these 
kings, who rules over 140 great and wealthy cities. For in the whole of 
this vast country of Manzi there are more than 1200 great and wealthy 
cities, without counting the towns and villages, which are in great num- 
bers. And you may receive it for certain that in each of those 1200 
cities the Great Kaan has a garrison, and that the smallest of such garri- 
sons musters 1000 men; whilst there are some of 10,000, 20,000 and 
30,000;- so that the total number of troops is something scarcely calcu- 
lable. The troops forming these garrisons are not all Tartars. Many 
are from the province of Cathay, and good soldiers too. But you must 
not suppose they are by any means all of them cavalry ; a very large pro- 
portion of them are foot-soldiers, according to the special requirements of 
each city. And all of them belong to the army of the Great Kaan. 

I repeat that everything appertaining to this city is on so vast a scale, 
and the Great Kaan's yearly revenues therefrom are so immense, that it 
is not easy even to put it in writing, and it seems past belief to one who 
merely hears it told. But I wz7/ write it down for you. 

First, however, I must mention another thing. The people of this 
country have a custom, that as soon as a child is born they write down 
the day and hour and the planet and sign under which its birth has taken 
place ; so that every one among them knows the day of his birth. And 
when any one intends a journey, he goes to the astrologers and gives the 
particulars of his nativity, in order to learn whether he shall have good 
luck or no. Sometimes they will say no^ and in that case the journey is 
put off till such day as the astrologer may recommend. These astrolo- 
gers are very skilful at their business, and often their words come to 
pass, so the people have great faith in them. 

They burn the bodies of the dead. And when any one dies the 
friends and relations make a great mourning for the deceased, and clothe 
themselves in hempen garments, and follow the corpse, playing on a 
variety of instruments and singing hymns to their idols. And when they 
come to the burning place, they take representations of things cut out of 



378 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

parchment, such as caparisoned horses, male and female slaves, camels, 
armor, suits of cloth of gold (and money), in great quantities, and these 
things they put on the fire along with the corpse, so that they are all 
burnt with it. And they tell you that the dead man shall have all these 
slaves and animals of which the effigies are burnt, alive in flesh and blood, 
and the money in gold, at his disposal in the next world ; and that the 
instruments which they have caused to be played at his funeral, and the 
idol hymns that have been chanted, shall also be produced again to wel- 
come him in the next world ; and that the idols themselves will come to 
do him honor. 

Furthermore, there exists in this city the palace of the king who fled, 
him who was Emperor of Manzi, and that is the greatest palace in the 
world, as I shall tell you more particularly. For you must know its de- 
mesne hath a compass of ten miles, all enclosed with lofty battlemented 
walls; and inside the walls are the finest and most delectable gardens 
upon earth, and filled too with the finest fruits. There are numerous 
fountains in it also, and lakes full of fish. In the middle is the palace it- 
self, a great and splendid building. It contains 20 great and handsome 
halls, one of which is more spacious than the rest, and affords room for a 
vast multitude to dine. It is all painted in gold, with many histories and 
representations of beasts and birds, of knights and dames, and many mar- 
vellous things. It forms a really magnificent spectacle, for over all the 
walls and all the ceiling you see nothing but paintings in gold. And 
besides these halls the palace contains 1000 large and handsome chambers, 
all painted in gold and divers colors. 

Moreover, I must tell you that in this city there are 160 tomans of 
fires, or in other words 160 tomans of houses. Now I should tell you that 
the toman is 10,000, so that you can reckon the total as altogether 1,600,- 
000 houses, among which are a great number of rich palaces. There is 
one church only, belonging to the Nestorian Christians. 

There is another thing I must tell you. It is the custom for every 
burgess of this city, and in fact for every description of person in it, to 
write over his door his own name, the name of his wife, and those of his 
children, his slaves, and all the inmates of his house, and also the number 
of animals that he keeps. And if any one dies in the house then the 



ORIGIN OF HOTEL-REGISTERS. 



379 



name of that person is erased, and if any child is born its name is added. 
So in this way the sovereign is able to know exactly the population of 
the city. And this is the practice also throughout all Manzi and Cathay. 
And I must tell you that every hosteler who keeps an hostel for 
travellers is bound to register their names and surnames, as well as the 
day and month of their arrival and departure. And thus the sovereign 
hath the means of knowing, whenever it pleases him, who come and go 
throughout his dominions. And certes this a wise order and a provident. 

'' Chingiangfu has retained its name unchanged," said Fred, 
as soon as Charles paused in his reading, '' except that it is now 




West Gate of Chinkiangfu in 1842. 

written Chinkiangfu. It is on the southern bank of the Yang- 
tse, and was entirely destroyed by the Taiping rebels, but it 
has been rebuilt, and is improving rapidly. In the war between 
England and China, in 1842, it was the scene of an incident 
illustrative of Chinese character. On the day of its capture by 
the English army, the commander of the garrison seated himself 
among his records in his office, and then ordered the building to 
be set on fire. He was burned along with his documents." 

One of Fred's auditors wished to know why was the city 
called Chinkiang-Fu, when it was named Chin-Kiang on the map 
of China. 



.380 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

"■ I ought to have explained before," was the reply, " that Fu 
is an official designation, and not a distinctive part of the name 
of a place. It is something like the way we designate New York 
City from New York State, though not exactly so. Perhaps the 
best way of making this clear to you is to read an extract from 
the Chinese Repository, defining the official divisions of the 
Chinese empire." 

Fred took a volume from one of the shelves of Dr. Allen's 
library and read as follows : 

"The eighteen provinces of China are divided into Fu^ Ting, Chau, 
and Hic7i. A Fu is a large portion or department of a province, under 
the general control of one civil ofificer immediately subordinate to the 
heads of the providcial government. A Ting\s2. division of a province 
smaller than a Fit, and either, like it, governed by an of^cer immediately 
subject to the heads of the provincial government, or else forming a sub- 
ordinate part of a Fu. In the former case it is called Chih-Li, meaning 
under the * direct rule ' of the provincial government ; in the latter case it 
is simply called Ting. A Chau is a division similar to a Ting, and, like 
it, either independent of any other division, or forming part of a Fu. 
The difference between the two consists in the government of a Ting re- 
sembling that of a Fu more nearly than a CJiau does ; that of the Chau 
is less expensive. The Ting and Chau may be denominated, in common 
with the Fu, departments or prefectures ; and the term Chih-Li may be 
rendered by the word * independent.' The subordinate Ting and Chau 
may both be called districts. A Hie7t, which is also a district, is a small 
division or subordinate part of a department, whether of a Fu, or of an 
independent Chau or Tijtg. 

'* Each Fu, Ting, Chau, and Hien possesses at least one walled town, 
the seat of its government, which bears the same name as the department 
or district to which it pertains. By European writers the chief towns of 
the Fu, or departments, have been called cities of the first order ; those of 
the Chau, cities of the second order ; and those of the LJien, cities of the 
third order. 

'' Where you see the syllable Ftt added to the name of a 
city, you may know that it is the chief town of a department," 
said Fred, as he closed the book and returned it to its place. 
" Chin-Kiang-Fu is the chief town of the district bearing that 



A GRAND RECEPTION. 



381 



name, and you will see by the map that it is in the province of 
Kiang-Su. 

'' Chinginju, which Polo mentions in the next chapter," con- 
tinued the youth, '' is the modern Chang-Chau, but unhappily 
his description does not apply to the surrounding region as we 
see it to-day, It was devastated by the Taipings, and there 
are miles and miles of country, once densely populated and pro- 
ducing abundantly, which are now overrun with coarse grass and 
weeds, and inhabited only by wild animals and birds. Chinese 




Southwest Gate and Water Gate of Suchau. (From a Chinese Drawing.) 

history does not mention the slaughter of the Alan troops and 
the sad sequel, and we may dismiss them from consideration. 

" Suju is the modern Suchau, which was one of the most 
beautiful and wealthy cities of China until the Taiping rebellion. 
It is said that when one of the emperors visited the city the 
people laid the streets with carpets and silks, but the emperor 
dismounted and required his followers to do the same. Marco 
exaggerates somewhat about the bridges, but it is proper to say 
that the bridges of the city and its surroundings are unusually 
fine and in goodly number. 

** Now we have reached the great city of Kinsay, which is the 
modern Hangchau, and the capital of China before the Mongol 



382 



THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 



conquest. It was then called Lin-Ngan and not Kinsay ; — the 
latter word is doubtless taken from the Chinese Kingsze, which 
means ' capital,' and was naturally applied to the great city. It 
was no doubt a fine place in Polo's day, and is still interesting, 
but we look in vain for the twelve thousand bridges, the palaces 
on the islands in the lake, and even for the lake having a ' com- 
pass of thirty miles.' The walls were not a hundred miles 
around, or anywhere near that figure ; it is the conclusion of 

modern writers, that the mile 
in these measurements has 
been confounded with the 
Chinese /?', which is only one 
third of a mile. The walls at 
one time measured very nearly 
a hundred li, and the lake is 
about thirty li in circumference; 
in the whole four departments 
there are 848 bridges and in 
the city about 120. Some of 
the bridges are very large and 
high ; according to Barrow the 
largest vessels of two hundred 
tons can sail under them with- 
out striking their masts. 
''With these and a few other allowances we may accept 
Marco's account of Kinsay as an excellent picture of the capital 
of Southern China six or seven hundred years ago. It is certainly 
one of the most animated chapters in his book, and the city 
seems to have made a great impression upon him, if we are to 
judge by his enthusiasm concerning it. Hangchau is an im- 
portant commercial point to-day, and there is a great deal of 
wealth inside its walls and in the surrounding country. The 
people dress gayly, and the silk manufactures alone are said to 
employ sixty thousand persons. There was formerly a collection 
of buildings devoted to public charity in much the manner that 




Ancient Pagoda at Hangchau 



ANCIENT KINSA Y. 383 

Polo describes ; the paved roads still exist in many places ; there 
are numerous public baths ; there is yet a large amount of 
shipping at the neighboring seaport ; the custom of mourning 
prevails now as of yore ; and that of making an enumeration of 
the people has descended to our times. As for the practice of 
the hostelries keeping a record of arrivals and departures, is it 
not done now in pretty nearly every part of the world ? The 
hotel registers of to-day are but imitations of what the Chinese 
possessed in the thirteenth century. 

'' Our time for this evening has been consumed," said Fred, 
" but we are not done with Kinsay. On the next evening we 
shall have more to tell about the great city and its wonders." 

Some one in the audience moved an adjournment, and the 
meeting was dissolved without delay. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

More About Kinsay — Southern China — Foo-chow and Other Cities — The Tea Districts of Fokien 
— How Tea Is Transported — The City and Great Haven of Zayton — Pidgin English — Trans- 
lation of a Well-Known Rhyme — End of Book Second. 

On the next evening Frank was fully recovered from his in- 
disposition, and his voice was as clear and strong as ever. He 
was warmly greeted by his audience, and after expressing his ob- 
ligations to Charles for taking his place in the last two readings, 
and more than filling it, he resumed the story where his young 
friend had stopped. Before doing so, however, he explained 
that the chapter he was about to read, concerning Kinsay, did 
not appear in the early manuscripts of Polo's story, but were 
only found in Ramusio's edition. '' Whether it belongs properly 
to the narrative," said Frank, "is an open question. But it is 
so interesting that it should not be thrown aside. Here it is : " 

FURTHER PARTICULARS CONCERNING THE GREAT CITY OF KINSAY. 

The position of the city is such that it has on one side a lake of fresh 
and exquisitely clear water (already spoken of), and on the other a very 
large river. The waters of the latter fill a number of canals of all sizes, 
which run through the different quarters of the city, carry away all im- 
purities, and then enter the Lake ; whence they issue again and flow to 
the Ocean, thus producing a most excellent atmosphere. By means of 
these channels, as well as by the streets, you can go all about the city. 
Both streets and canals are so wide and spacious that carts on the one and 
boats on the other can readily pass to and fro, conveying necessary sup- 
plies to the inhabitants. 

At the opposite side the city is shut in by a channel, perhaps 40 
miles in length, very wide, and full of water derived from the river afore- 
said, which was made by the ancient kings of the country in order to 

384 



A GREAT MARKET. 385 

relieve the river when flooding its banks. This serves also as a defence to 
the city, and the earth dug from it has been thrown inwards, forming a 
kind of mound enclosing the city. 

In this part are the ten principal markets, though besides these there 
are a vast number of others in the different parts of the town. The 
former are all squares of half a mile to the side, and along their front 
passes the main street, which is 40 paces in width, and runs straight from 
end to end of the city, crossing many bridges bi easy and commodious 
approach. At every four miles of its length comes one of those great 
squares of 2 miles (as we have mentioned) in compass. So also parallel 
to this great street, but at the back of the market-places, there runs a 
very large canal, on the bank of which towards the squares 
are built great houses of stone, in which the merchants 
from India and other foreign parts store their wares, to 
be handy for the markets. In each of the squares is held 
a market three days in the week, frequented by 40,000 or 
50,000 persons, who bring thither for sale every possible 
necessary of life, so that there is always an ample supply 
of every kind of meat and game, as of roebuck, red-deer, 
fallow-deer, hares, rabbits, partridges, pheasants, francolins, A^ 
quails, fowls, capons, and of ducks and geese an infinite -. 
quantity ; for so many are bred on the Lake that for a 
Venice groat of silver you can have a couple of geese "'^''''^^' 
and two couple of ducks. Then there are the shambles ^ , 

Colunin at Kmsay. 

where the larger animals are slaughtered, such as calves, 

beeves, kids,, and lambs, the flesh of which is eaten by the rich and the 

great dignitaries. 

Those markets make a daily display of every kind of vegetables and 
fruits ; and among the latter there are in particular certain pears of enor- 
mous size, weighing as much as ten pounds apiece, and the pulp of which 
is white and fragrant like a confection ; besides peaches in their season 
both yellow and white, of every delicate flavor. 

Neither grapes nor wine are produced there, but very good raisins are 
brought from abroad, and wine likewise. The natives, however, do not 
much care about wine, being used to that kind of their own made from rice 




386 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

and spices. From the Ocean Sea also come daily supplies of fish in great 
quantity, brought 25 miles up the river, and there is also great store of fish 
from the lake, which is the constant resort of fishermen, who have no 
business. Their fish is of sundry kinds, changing with the season ; 
and, owing to the impurities of the city which pass into the lake, it is 
remarkably fat and savory. Any one who should see the supply of fish 
in the market would suppose it impossible that such a quantity could 
ever be sold ; and yet in a few hours the whole shall be cleared away, so 
great is the number of inhabitants who are accustomed to delicate living. 
Indeed they eat fish and flesh at the same meal. 

All the ten market-places are encompassed by lofty houses, and below 
these are shops where all sorts of crafts are carried on, and all sorts of 
wares are on sale, including spices and jewels and pearls. Some of these 
shops are entirely devoted to the sale of wine made from rice and spices, 
which is constantly made fresh and fresh, and is sold very cheap. 

Certain of the streets are occupied by the Physicians, and by the 
Astrologers, who are also teachers of reading and writing ; and an infinity 
of other professions have their places round about those squares. In each of 
the squares there are two great palaces facing one another, in which are 
established the officers appointed by the King to decide differences arising 
between merchants, or other inhabitants of the quarter. It is the daily 
duty of these officers to see that the guards are at their posts on the 
neighboring bridges, and to punish them at their discretion if they are 
absent. 

All along the main street that we have spoken of, as running from end 
to end of the city, both sides are lined with houses and great palaces and 
the gardens pertaining to them, whilst in the intervals are the houses of 
tradesmen engaged in their different crafts. The crowd of people that 
you meet here at all hours, passing this way and that on their different 
errands, is so vast that no one would believe it possible that victuals 
enough could be provided for their consumption, unless they should see 
how, on every market-day, all those squares are thronged and crammed 
with purchasers, and with the traders who have brought in stores of pro- 
visions by land or water ; and every thing they bring in is disposed of. 

To give you an example of the vast consumption in this city let us 



A WELL-BEHAVED CITY. 



387 



take the article oi pepper ; and that will enable you in some measure to 
estimate what must be the quantity of victual, such as meat, wine, gro- 
ceries, which have to be provided for the general consumption. Now 
Messer Marco heard it stated by one of the Great Kaan's officers of 
customs that the quantity of pepper introduced daily for consumption 
into the city of Kinsay amounted to 43 loads, each load being equal 
to 223 lbs. 

The houses of the citizens are well built and elaborately finished ; and 
the delight they take in decoration, in painting, and in architecture leads 
them to spend in this way sums of money 
that would astonish you. 

The natives of the city are men of peace- 
ful character, both from education and from 
the example of their kings, whose disposi- 
tion was the same. They know nothing of 
handling arms, and keep none 
in their houses. You hear 
of no feuds or noisy quarrels 
or dissensions of any kind I 
among them. Both in their 
commercial dealings and in^ 
their manufactures they are 
thoroughly honest and truth- 
ful, and there is such a de- 
gree of good will and neigh- Temple of the Heavenly Winds. 

borly attachment among both men and women that you would take the 
people who live in the same street to be all one family. 

They also treat the foreigners who visit them for the sake of trade 
with great cordiality, and entertain them in the most winning manner, 
affording them every help and advice on their business. But on the other 
hand they hate to see soldiers, and not least those of the Great Kaan's 
garrisons, regarding them as the cause of their having lost their native 
kings and lords. 

On the Lake of which we have spoken there are numbers of boats and 
barges of all sizes for parties of pleasure. These will hold 10, 15, 20, or 




388 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



more persons, and are from 1 5 to 20 paces in length, with flat bottoms 
and ample breadth of beam, so that they always keep their trim. Any 
one who desires to go a-pleasuring hires one of these barges, which are 
always to be found completely furnished with tables and chairs and all the 
other apparatus for a feast. The roof forms a level deck, on which the 
crew stand, and pole the boat along whithersoever may be desired, for the 
lake is not more than 2 paces in depth. The inside of this roof and the 
rest of the interior is covered with ornamental painting in gay colors^ 
with windows all round that can be shut or opened, so that the party at 

table can enjoy all the beauty 
and variety of the prospects on 
both sides as they pass along. 
And truly a trip on this lake is 
a much more charming recrea- 
tion than can be enjoyed on 
land. For on the one side lies 
the city in its entire length, so 
that the spectators in the barges, 
from the distance at which they 
stand, take in the whole prospect 
in its full beauty and grandeur, 
with its numberless palaces, 
temples, monasteries, and gar- 
dens, full of lofty trees, sloping 
to the shore. And the lake is 
A Teacher of Writing. ^^^^^ without a number of 

other such boats, laden with pleasure parties ; for it is the great delight of 
the citizens here, after they have disposed of the day's business, to pass 
the afternoon in enjoyment with the ladies of their families, either in these 
barges or in driving about the city in carriages. 

Of these latter we must also say something, for they afford one mode of 
recreation to the citizens in going about the town, as the boats afford 
another in going about the Lake. In the main street of the city you 
meet an infinite succession of these carriages passing to and fro. They 
are long covered vehicles, fitted with curtains and cushions, and affording 




AMUSEMENTS A T KINSA Y. 



389 



room for six persons; and they are in constant request for ladies and 
gentlemen going on parties of pleasure. In these they drive to certain 
gardens, where they are entertained by the owners in pavilions erected on 
purpose, and there they divert themselves the livelong day, returning 
home in the evening in those same carriages. 

The whole enclosure of the Palace was divided into three parts. The 
middle one was entered by a very lofty gate, on each side of which there 
stood on the ground-level vast pavilions, the roofs of which were sustained by 




A Chinese Reception Party. 

columns painted and wrought in gold and the finest azure. Opposite the 
gate stood the chief Pavilion, larger than the rest, and painted in like 
style, with gilded columns, and a ceiling wrought in splendid gilded 
sculpture, whilst the walls were artfully painted with the stories of de- 
parted kings. 

On certain days, sacred to his gods, the King Facfur used to hold a 
great court and give a feast to his chief lords, dignitaries, and rich manu- 
facturers of the city of Kinsay. On such occasions those pavilions used 



390 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



to give ample accommodation for io,ooo persons sitting at table. This 
court lasted for ten or twelve days, and exhibited an astonishing and in- 
credible spectacle in the magnificence of the guests, all clothed in silk and 
gold, with a profusion of precious stones; for they tried to outdo each 
other in the splendor and richness of their appointments. Behind this 
great Pavilion that faced the great gate, there was a wall with a passage 
in it shutting oiT the inner part of the Palace. On entering this you 




A Mandarin Receiving Calls. 

found another great edifice in the form of a cloister surrounded by a 
portico with columns, from which opened a variety of apartments for the 
King and the Queen, adorned like the outer walls with such elaborate work 
as we have mentioned. From the cloister again you passed into a covered 
corridor, six paces in width, of great length, and extending to the margin 
of the lake. On either side of this corridor were ten courts, in the form 
of oblong cloisters surrounded by colonnades ; and in each cloister or 



HOW THE KING ENJOYS HIMSELF. 391 

court were fifty chambers with gardens to each. In these chambers were 
quartered one thousand young ladies in the service of the King. The 
King would sometimes go with the Queen and some of these maidens to 
take his diversion on the lake, or to visit the Idol-temples, in boats all 
canopied with silk. 

The other two parts of the enclosure were distributed in groves and 
lakes and charming gardens planted with fruit-trees, and preserves for all 
sorts of animals, such as roe, red-deer, fallow-deer, hares, and rabbits. 
Here the King used to take his pleasure in company with the Queen and 
those damsels of his ; some in carriages and some on horseback. Some- 
times the King would have his dinner carried to those groves, which were 
dense with lofty trees, and there would be waited on by those young 
ladies. And thus he passed his life in constant idleness, without so much 
as knowing what arms meant ! And the result of all this cowardice and 
effeminacy was that he lost his dominion to the Great Kaan in that base 
and shameful way that you have heard. 

All this account was given me by a very rich merchant of Kinsay 
when I was in that city. He was a very old man, and had been in 
familiar intimacy with the King Facfur, and knew the whole history of 
his life ; and having seen the Palace in its glory was pleased to be my 
guide over it. As it is occupied by the King appointed by the Great 
Kaan, the first pavilions are still maintained as they used to be, but the 
apartments of the ladies are all gone to ruin and can only just be traced. 
So also the wall that enclosed the groves and gardens is fallen down, and 
neither trees nor animals are there any longer. 

TREATING OF THE GREAT YEARLY REVENUE THAT THE GREAT KAAN 

HATH FROM KINSAY. 

Now I will tell you about the great revenue which the Great Kaan 
draweth every year from the said city of Kinsay and its territory, forming 
a ninth part of the whole country of Manzi. 

First there is the salt, which brings in a great revenue. For it pro- 
duces every year, in round numbers, fourscore tomans of gold ; and the 
toman is worth 70,000 saggi of gold, so that the total value of the four- 
score tomans will be five millions and six hundred thousand saggi of gold, 



392 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

each saggio being worth more than a gold florin or ducat ; in sooth, a 
vast sum of money! This province, you see, adjoins the ocean, on the 
shores of which are many lagoons or salt marshes, in which the sea water 
dries up during the summer time ; and thence they extract such a quantity 
of salt as suffices for the supply of five of the kingdoms of Manzi besides 
this one. 

Having told you of the revenue from salt, I will now tell you of that 
which accrues to the Great Kaan from the duties on merchandize and 
other matters. 

You must know that in this city and its dependencies they make 
great quantities of sugar, as indeed they do in the other eight divisions 
of this country ; so that I believe the whole of the rest of the world 
together does not produce such a quantity, at least, if that be true which 
many people have told me ; and the sugar alone again produces an enor- 
mous revenue. However, I will not repeat the duties on every article 
separately, but tell you how they go in the lump. Well, all spicery pays 
three and a third per cent, on the value ; and all merchandize likewise 
pays three and a third per cent. But sea-borne goods from India and 
other distant countries pay ten per cent. The rice-wine also makes a 
great return, and coals, of which there is a great quantity ; and so do the 
twelve guilds of craftsmen that I told you of, with their 12,000 stations 
apiece, for every article they make pays duty. And the silk which is 
produced in such abundance makes an immense return. But why should 
I make a long story of it ? The silk, you must know, pays ten per cent., 
and many other articles also pay ten per cent. 

And you must know that Messer Marco Polo, who relates all this, was 
several times sent by the Great Kaan to inspect the amount of his cus- 
toms and revenue from this ninth part of Manzi, and he found it to be, 
exclusive of the salt revenue which we have mentioned already, 210 
tomans of gold, equivalent to 14,700,000 saggi oi gold ; one of the most 
enormous revenues that ever was heard of. And if the sovereign has 
such a revenue from one-ninth part of the country, you may judge what 
he must have from the whole of it ! However, to speak the truth, this 
part is the greatest and most productive ; and because of the great rev- 
enue that the Great Kaan derives from it, it is his favorite province, and 



STORIES OF OTHER TRAVELLERS. 



393 



he takes all the more care to watch it well, and to keep the people 
contented. 

**The Italians have a proverb," said Fred, who rose when 
Frank paused, ''which says : * Si non e vero e be7i trovato ', * if it 
is n't true it 's a good story.' I think we will all agree that 
whether Polo wrote it or not this last account of Kinsay Is worth 
preserving. It is an excellent appendix to the description in the 




Chinese Sedan Chair. 

preceding chapter, about whose authenticity there is no dispute, 
and it seems to be fairly verified by travellers who visited the 
city soon after Polo's time. Friar Odoric, John Marignolli, 
and the Archbishop of Soltania, in the fourteenth century, 
several Arabic writers in the fifteenth, and Semedo and Martini 
In the seventeenth, all speak In the same exalted terms of the 
extent, population, and wonders of Kinsay. We must make due 
allowances for exaggerations, especially in the amount of pepper 
consumed by the Chinese, the revenues obtained from the city, 
and the number of soldiers in the garrison. A toman is ten 
thousand, and when we multiply the tomans of the narrative by 



394 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

that number we get a revenue of bewildering proportions and a 
garrison that must have been very oppressive. Wassaf, an Arab 
traveller about a. d. 1300, says the number of tradesmen is so 
great that 32,000 are employed in the dyers' art alone, and from 
that fact you may estimate the rest ; and a Persian writer says 
the population of Kinsay is so numerous that 10,000 watchmen 
are required to guard the city at night ! 

'' The account of the revenue," said Fred, " is from Polo's nar- 
rative, and does not depend upon Ramusio's edition like the pre- 
ceding one. Salt continues to be the source of much of the gov- 
ernment revenue in China, and is the cause of a great deal of 
trickery on the part of the people to avoid paying the duty. One 
of the most effectual means that they have invented is to boil 
their rice with sea-weed ; of course the weed cannot be taxed, and 
it contains salt enough to give flavor to the rice. Another way 
of getting around the law is by the use of brine in which edible 
articles are preserved. The sale of brine alone is illegal, but if it 
is used for preserving an article of food it may be dealt in. 
Consequently a man will put a pound of beef or other meat into 
a barrel of the strongest brine ; the purchaser buys the meat at a 
good price and gets the brine for nothing, and then he can evapo- 
rate the water and retain the salt. Each province has a com- 
missioner who controls the manufacture and sale of salt, and he 
has the power to compel rich men to carry on the salt business. 
The commissioner is responsible for the regular revenue from 
salt in his province, and he compels the manufacturers to pay it 
over to him, so that he is always secure. In consequence of the 
many frauds on the government the contractors always lose 
money, and sometimes a rich man is forced into poverty through 
being compelled to go into this business. 

'' We will not go further into the salt traffic," continued Fred, 
"but listen to what Frank has to read in the next chapters." 

OF THE CITY OF TANPIJU AND OTHERS. 
When you leave Kinsay and travel a day's journey to the south-east, 
through a plenteous region, passing a succession of dwellings and charm- 



IN THE TEA COUNTRY. 



395 



ing gardens, you reach the city of Tanpiju, a great, rich, and fine city, 
under Kinsay. The people hve by trade and manufactures and handi- 
crafts, and have all the necessaries in great plenty and cheapness. 

There is another city called VujU at three days' distance from Tan- 
piju. The people are Idol- 
aters, and the city is un- 
der Kinsay. They live 
by trade and manufac- 
tures. 

Travelling through a 
succession of towns and 
villages that look like 
one continuous city, two 
days farther on to the 
south-east you find the 
great and fine city of 
Ghiuju, which is under 
Kinsay. At this city you 
find the largest and long- 
est canes that are in all 
Manzi ; they are full four 
palms in girth and 15 
paces in length. 

When you have left 
Ghiuju you travel four 
days S. E. through a 
beautiful country, in 
which towns and villages 
are very numerous. 
There is abundance of 
game both in beasts and birds ; and there are very large and fierce lions. 
After those four days you come to the great and fine city of Chanshan. 
It is situated upon a hill which divides the River, so that the one portion 
flows up country and the other down. It is still under the government 
of Kinsay. 




Scene in the Bohea Mountains on Polo's Route. 



396 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO, 

I should tell you that in all the country of Manzi they have no sheep, 
though they have beeves and kine, goats and kids and swine in 
abundance. 

When you leave Changshan you travel three days through a very fine 
country with many towns and villages, traders and craftsmen, and 
abounding in game of all kinds, and arrive at the city of CujU. It is 
a fine, noble, and rich city, and is the last of the government of Kinsay in 
this direction. The other kingdom which we now enter, called Fuju, is 
also one of the nine great divisions of Manzi as Kinsay is. 

CONCERNING THE KINGDOM OF FUJU. 

On leaving Cuju, which is the last city of the kingdom of Kinsay, you 
enter the kingdom of FujU, and travel six days in a south-easterly direc- 
tion through a country of mountains and valleys, in which are a number 
of towns and villages with great plenty of victuals and abundance of 
game. Lions, great and strong, are also very numerous. The country 
produces ginger and galingale in immense quantities, insomuch that 
for a Venice groat you may buy fourscore pounds of good fine-flavored 
ginger. They have also a kind of fruit resembling saffron, and which 
serves the purpose of saffron just as well. 

And you must know the people eat all manner of unclean things, 
even the flesh of a man, provided he has not died a natural death. So 
they look out for the bodies of those that have been put to death 
and eat their flesh, which they consider excellent. 

Those who go to war in those parts do as I am going to tell you. 
They shave the hair off the forehead and cause it to be painted in 
blue like the blade of a glaive. They all go afoot except the chief ; they 
carry spears and swords, and are the most savage people in the world, for 
they go about constantly killing people, whose blood they drink, and 
then devour the bodies. 

Now I will quit this and speak of other matters. You must know 
then that after going three days out of the six that I told you of 
you come to the city of Kelinfu, a very great and noble city, belonging 
to the Great Kaan. This city hath three stone bridges w^hich are among 
the finest and best in the world. They are a mile long and some 



SUGAR.MAKING IN CHINA. . 397 

nine paces in width, and they are all decorated with rich marble columns. 
Indeed they are such fine and marvellous works that to build any one of 
them must have cost a treasure. 

The people live by trade and manufactures, and have great store 
of silk which they weave into various stuffs, and of ginger and galingale. 
They also make much cotton cloth of dyed thread, which is sent all over 
Manzi. Their women are particularly beautiful. And there is a strange 
thing there which I needs must tell you. You must know they 
have a kind of fowls which have no feathers, but hair only, like a 
cat's fur. They are black all over; they lay eggs just like our fowls, and 
are very good to eat. 

In the other three days of the six that I have mentioned above, you 
continue to meet with many towns and villages, with traders, and goods 
for sale, and craftsmen. There is plenty of game of all kinds, and there 
are great and fierce lions which attack travellers. In the last of those 
three days' journey, when you have gone 15 miles you find a city 
called Unken, where there is an immense quantity of sugar made. From 
this city the Great Kaan gets all the sugar for the use of his Court, a 
quantity worth a great amount of money. And before this city came 
under the Great Kaan these people knew not how to make fine sugar ; 
they only used to boil and skim the juice, which when cold left a black 
paste. But after they came under the Great Kaan some men of Babylo- 
nia who happened to be at the Court proceeded to this city and taught 
the people to refine the sugar with the ashes of certain trees. 

There is no more to say of the place, so now we shall speak of the 
splendor of Fuju. When you have gone 15 miles from the city of 
Unken, you come to this noble city, which is the capital of the king- 
dom. So we will now tell you what we know of it. 

CONCERNING THE GREATNESS OF THE CITY OF FUJU. 

Now this city of Fuju is the key of the kingdom which is called 
Chonka, and which is one of the nine great divisions of Manzi. The 
city is a seat of great trade and great manufactures. A large garrison is 
maintained there to keep the kingdom in peace and subjection. For the 
city is one which is apt to revolt on very slight provocation. 



398 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

There flows through the middle of this city a great river, which is 
about a mile in width, and many ships are built at the city which are 
launched upon this river. Enormous quantities of sugar are made there, 
and there is a great traffic in pearls and precious stones. For many 
ships of India come to these parts bringing many merchants who traffic 
about the Isles of the Indies. For this city is, as I must tell you, in the 
vicinity of the Ocean Port of Zayton, which is greatly frequented by the 
ships of India with their cargoes of various merchandize ; and from 
Zayton ships come this way right up to the city of Fuju by the river I 
have told you of ; and 't is in this w^ay that the precious wares of India 
come hither. 

The city is really a very fine one and kept in good order, and all 
necessaries of life are there to be had in great abundance and cheapness. 

OF THE CITY AND GREAT HAVEN OF ZAYTON. 

Now when you quit Fuju and cross the River, you travel for five days 
south-east through a fine country, meeting with a constant succession of 
flourishing cities, towns, and villages, rich in every product. You travel 
by mountains and valleys and plains, and in some places by great forests 
in which are many of the trees which give Camphor. There is plenty 
of game on the road, both of bird and beast. The people are all traders 
and craftsmen, and under the goverment of P'uju. When you have 
accomplished those five days' journey you arrive at the very great and 
noble city of Zayton, which is also subject to Fuju. 

At this city you must know is the Haven of Zayton, frequented by all 
the ships of India, which bring thither spicery and all other kinds of 
costly wares. It is the port also that is frequented by all the merchants 
of Manzi, for hither is imported the most astonishing quantity of goods 
and of precious stones and pearls, and from this they are distributed all 
over Manzi. And I assure you that for one shipload of pepper that goes 
to Alexandria or elsewhere, destined for Christendom, there come a 
hundred such, aye and more too, to this haven of Zayton ; for it is one of 
the two greatest havens in the world for commerce. 

The Great Kaan derives a very large revenue from the duties paid in 
this city and haven ; for you must know that on all the merchandize im- 



A COUNTRY OF HIGH TARIFFS. 



399 



ported, including precious stones and pearls, he levies a duty of ten per 
cent., or in other words takes tithe of every thing. Then again the ship's 



\\&> 




ofUie 

^^^^^ito illuslralelKeldenlityof 
Marco Polo s Z AY T O N 

Mills 

\0 20 30 AO SO 



«8» 



charge for freight on small wares is 30 per cent., on pepper 44 per cent., 
and on lignaloes, sandalwood, and other bulky goods 40 per cent.; so that 



400 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

between freight and the Kaan's duties the merchant has to pay a good 
half the value of his investment, though on the other half he makes such 
a profit that he is always glad to come back with a new supply of 
merchandize. But you may well believe from what I have said that the 
Kaan hath a vast revenue from this city. 

There is great abundance here of all provision for every necessity of 
man's life. It is a charming country, and the people are very quiet, and 
fond of an easy life. Many come hither from Upper India to have their 
bodies painted with the needle in the way we have elsewhere described, 
there being many adepts at this craft in the city. 

Let me tell you also that in this province there is a town called 
Tyunju, where they make vessels of porcelain of all sizes, the finest that 
can be imagined. They make it nowhere but in that city, and thence it is 
exported all over the world. Here it is abundant and very cheap, inso- 
much that for a Venice groat you can buy three dishes so fine that you 
could not imagine better. 

I should tell you that in this city {i. e. of Zayton) they have a peculiar 
language. For you must know that throughout all Manzi they employ 
one speech and one kind of writing only, but yet there are local differ- 
ences of dialect, as 3/ou might say of Genoese, Milanese, Florentines, and 
Neapolitans, who, though they speak different dialects, can understand 
one another. 

And I assure you the Great Kaan has as large customs and revenues 
from this kingdom of Chonka as from Kinsay, aye and more too. 

We have now spoken of but three out of the nine kingdoms of Manzi, 
to wit Yanju and Kinsay and Fuju. We could tell you about the other 
six, but it would be too long a business ; so we will say no more about 
them. 

And now you have heard all the truth about Cathay and Manzi and 
many other countries, as has been set down in this Book ; the customs of 
the people and the various objects of commerce, the beasts and birds, the 
gold and silver and precious stones, and many other matters have been 
rehearsed to you. But our Book as yet does not contain nearly all that 
we purpose to put therein. For we have still to tell you all about the 
people of India and the notable things of that country, which are well 



ID EN TI PICA TION OF PLACES. 



401 



worth the describing, for they are marvellous indeed. What we shall tell 
is all true, and without any lies. And we shall set down all the particulars 
in writing just as Messer Marco Polo related them. And he well knew 
the facts, for he remained so long in India, and enquired so diligently into 
the manners and peculiarities of the nations, that I can assure you there 
never was a single man before who learned so much and beheld so much 
as he did. 



w^e are 



'' As you observe by Marco's v^ords," said Fred, 
about to leave China for other lands. 
We are at the end of the second 
book of Polo's narrative, and at the 
next meeting we shall begin with 
the third book. 

'' And now a few words con- 
cerning the provinces and cities 
he has just described. 

" Tanplju has not been clearly 
identified, but Col. Yule thinks it 
stands for Shaohing, though he is 
by no means certain. Vuju is prob- 
ably Kinwha, which was called 
Wuchau in Polo's day ; Ghluju is 
Kiuchau ; Changshan is Kiang- 
shan ; and Cuju is Chuchu. The^ 
last is an insignificant town, and 

may not be the one indicated ; there -^H 

are some difficulties respecting the 

distances between the places, which ^^^^^^^ Vo.c^\^^n Vase. 

Col. Yule explains at length, but are hardly worth our while to 

consider. 

'' The large bamboos mentioned by Polo are still to be found 
in this region, and he does not exaggerate their dimensions. One 
traveller says he has seen rafts of bamboos on the river near 
Hangchau fully a third of a mile in length. 




402 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

'' One singular feature of the story of our Venetian is that in 
the district now under consideration he was in the midst of the 
tea regions of China, but he makes no mention of the famous 
plant and its commercial product. Nowhere in all his book is 
there any allusion to the growth of the plant, the preparation of 
tea, and its use as an article of drink." 

'* Perhaps tea was not cultivated there in his time," said one 
of the youths seated near Fred, '' and if so, there was no occasion 
for him to speak of it." 

'' That is possible," said Dr. Allen, " but hardly probable. 
The use of tea is said to have been introduced into China from 
Corea about the fourth century of our era, and carried to Japan 
in the ninth century. Many of the natives of China believe the 
plant is indigenous in their country, and they have certainly 
known it for ten or twelve centuries. It is possible that it had 
not reached the Fokien district of China when Polo appears to 
have passed through it, and consequently the steep hill-sides were 
not as now covered with tea plantations. 

*' In the mountain districts where the tea is grown all trans- 
portation is done upon the shoulders of men. The finer teas 
are never allowed to touch the ground in their journey ; a 
single chest is lashed to the ends of two short poles, and the 
other ends are brought together so as to form a triangle, which 
passes over the coolie's head. The chest lies on his shoulders, 
and when he wishes to rest he places the ends of the sticks on 
the ground and lets the weight fall upon them ; when he stops 
at a refreshment house by the wayside the chest leans against the 
wall and is sustained by the poles. The common teas are carried 
in the ordinary way, two chests being slung at the ends of a pole 
over the coolie's shoulders and placed on the ground whenever 
the bearer desires to rest ; consequently the chests are soiled, and 
quite likely the tea is injured by the dampness of the ground, while 
the fine tea arrives at its destination in a much better condition." 

Some one wished to know when tea was first brought to Eu- 
rope. 



FIRST USE OF TEA IN EUROPE, 



403 




Carrying Common Tea. 



'' As to that," replied the doctor, *' we are In some doubt. 
About the end of the sixteenth century it was mentioned by a 
Portuguese writer, who refers to 
it as a product of China and 
Japan. In the office of the East 
India Company there is a letter 
written by a Mr. Wickham, 
dated June 27, 161 5, in which tea 
is mentioned. The Chinese 
name for tea is tcha or cha ; the 
Portuguese writer calls it chiay 
and Mr. Wickham chaw. The 
Russians to-day call' it chi. In 
the early part of the seventeenth 
century it was frequently sent in little parcels as presents to 
wealthy inhabitants of London by their friends in China and 
India, and through these small packets it became generally 
known. In 1657 there was a consignment of a considerable 
quantity to Thomas Garway of London ; he established a house 
for selling the prepared beverage, and it is in existence to-day 

under the name of ' Garraway's Coffee- 
House.' You may remember that one 
of Mr. Pickwick's letters to his landlady 
is dated ' Garraway's, 12 o'clock.' From 
1660 to 1689 the government exacted a 
duty of eight pence per gallon on the 
decoction of tea ready for drinking, but 
since the latter date the duty has been 
levied upon the weight of the dry tea in 
packages. 

'' From this small beginning two hun- 
dred years ago the consumption of tea 
Carrying Fine Tea. ^^d a rapid growth, and the article has 

long been regarded as a prime necessity in many countries. Fore- 
most among these are England, Russia, and the United States. 




404 



THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO, 




Tea Picker, Canton. 



England imports about 150,000,000 pounds of tea annually, and 
the United States very nearly a third of that quantity. I can- 
not give you at the moment the 
importations of tea into Russia, 
but they are very large, as the 
decoction is the national drink 
of the country from the emperor 
to the lowest peasant." 

As the doctor ended his dis- 
sertation upon tea Fred resumed 
his observations. 

'' Polo's Fuju is the modern 
Foochow, whence the largest 
quantities of tea find their way 
to Europe and America. His 
lions, as in other places, are tigers, and still to be found there ; 
but his cannibals are supposed to be an original tribe then living 
in the mountains, but now either extinct or sufficiently civilized 
to have abandoned their peculiar diet. Martini says that as late 
as the seventeenth century the mountains of Fokien contained 
an uncivilized race of people who maintained their independence 
of the Chinese govern- 



ment. Kelinfu is the 
modern Kienningfu, an 
important city on the 
upper part of the Min 
river, the same on which 
Foochow stands. The 
fowls covered with fur 
instead of feathers are 
well known at Foochow 
and in its neighbor- 
hood, but they are 
white instead of black. 




View on the Min. 

The Chinese call them 



velvet-hair 



fowls,' and specimens of them have been brought to Eu- 



DIALECTS AND LANGUAGES OF CHINA, 



405 



rope and America. Unken is probably the modern Minsing, 
about fifteen miles above Foochow, and corresponding to the de- 
scription in the text. 

"■ There is a perplexity concerning the 'city and great haven 
of Zayton,' and much discussion in consequence. The arguments 
pro and con may be summed up that Zayton (city) was the 
modern T'swanchau, and the ' great haven ' was the harbor of 
Chin-Chu. Or it may be that Zayton was the modern Changchau, 
of which Amoy is the seaport, and the great haven was the 
harbor of Amoy, one of the finest in the world. Chinchu harbor 
is of little consequence now, as it seems to be filling up, but in 

Polo's time it may _ _ "^""""T"-"^" 

have been of consid- _ ^ ~~ ~ _ 

erable importance, and ' ~- 
deep enough to furnish 
anchorage for the 
ships of Kublai Khan. 
Tyunju is not clearly 
i d e n t i fi e d, but is 
thought to be on Poy- 
ang Lake, where the 
manufactory of porce- 
lain is still carried on. '^^^ Khan's Fleet Leaving the Port of Zayton. 

Much of the china-ware used in our houses was made on the 
borders of this lake, and the manufacturers have long been cele- 
brated for the excellence of their work. 

'' Marco is right in his statement about the different dialects 
and languages of China. The written language is the same 
throughout the country, but there is great variety in the spoken 
language. A gentleman who lived at Foochow and studied 
Chinese had two teachers, one for the mandarin and the other 
for the common language. He said they read the same books, 
composed in the same style, and attached precisely the same 
ideas to the written symbols, but could not understand each 
other in conversation. There is as much difference in the 





4o6 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

Chinese language in the various parts of the country as in the 
dialects of England, France, or Austria. A native of Amoy 
could not understand a native of Peking, and the same would be 
the result if a Canton boatman should endeavor to talk to a 
Shanghai coolie." 

" Please tell us something about * Pidgin-English,' and how it 
originated," said a voice from the rear of the room. 

Fred looked inquiringly at the doctor, and the latter rose to 
the young man's assistance. 

''Pidgin-English," said he, "may be called 'business English,' 
' pidgin ' being the result of the attempt of a Chinese to pro- 
nounce the word 'business.' It is a compound of English, 
Portuguese, Hindostanee, and Chinese words, but with English 
largely predominating, and Is used in the treaty ports and other 
places where natives come in contact with Europeans. It em- 
braces about four hundred words, and Is readily learned by both 
Chinese and Europeans, especially If the latter are English- 
speaking to begin with. A few words do duty for many, and the 
language has no inflections, declensions, moods, or tenses. All 
the pronouns of the third person are included in he, those of the 
first person In myy and those of the second m yozi ; all verbs of 
action, intention, existence, and kindred conditions are repre- 
sented by /tab, belongey, or can do. Possession in all Its forms Is 
covered by catchee, and position by side ; the vocabulary contains 
inside, outside, bottom-side (below), and top-side (above). There 
are printed vocabularies for the use of Chinese students in this 
language, with Chinese phrases and their Pidgin-English equiva- 
lents In parallel columns. You will often see a servant equipped 
with one of these little books, which he glances at whenever he 
encounters a difficulty in conversation. 

" Having given you the outline of the principles of Pidgin- 
English," continued the doctor, " I will -illustrate its use by 
rendering the old nursery rhyme of little Jack Horner into that 
peculiar language : 



PIDGIN-ENGLISH. 407 

" ' Ittee Johnny Horner, 
B'long insidee corner, — 
Makee chow-chow one Clismas pie. 
He put insidee turn, 
Catchee big piecee plum, — 
Hi Yah ! What one good chilo my ! ' 

" There is an old proverb," continued the doctor, as soon as 
the laugh over this quaint rendering had subsided, '' which says 
there are no needles with double points, and no man is perfect 
in the eyes of others. Its Pidgin-English rendering would be: 

" ' You catch no needle sharp at both he ins. 
You b'longey no all-good man among you flins.' 

'' There is a Pidgin-French language at Saigon and other 
Cochin-Chinese ports, and at Kiachta, on the Russian frontier, 
there is a Pidgin-Russian in which a great deal of business is 
transacted. But I am takino^ too much of Fred's time and will 
stop." 

That the doctor's exposition of Pidgin-English was well ap- 
preciated was evidenced by the applause and laughter that 
followed it. Fred said he had nothing to add, and even if he 
had any thing to say he should hesitate to give them another 
instalment of dry details after the charming little entertainment 
which the doctor had just completed. Therefore he moved an 
adjournment, which was carried without opposition. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

Chinese Ships in the Thirteenth Century — Polo's Description of Japan, and of Kublai's Attempt 
to Conquer It — Cochin China, Java, and Siam ; Products of Those Countries — A King with 
a Numerous Family — Incorrect Statements about Java — Siam's Enlightened Ruler. 

As the members' of the Society entered Dr. Allen's library 
on the evening appointed for their next session, their attention 
was drawn to a large sketch in crayon which hung on the wall 
opposite the door. It was entitled '' The Khan's Fleet Passing 
through the Indian Archipelago," and represented a fleet of 
Oriental ships propelled by sails and oars among islands whose 
verdure show^ed them to be tropical. From a mountain in the 
background a stream of smoke indicated a volcano, while a mass 
of stones on the left of the picture suggested to some of the 
imaginative spectators that the artist had endeavored to deline- 
ate the results of an earthquake. The drav/ing was the work 
of Miss Mary Allen, and was an enlarged copy of a wood-cut in 
the style of mediaeval times. It was studied in all its details 
before and during the reading, and greatly aided the youthful 
auditors in understanding Polo's description of the ships of his day. 

They made many comparisons between the naval architecture 
of the present century and that which was the fashion in the 
time of Kublai Khan. While one of the youths w^as comparing 
the model of the junk in the foreground to that of a transatlantic 
steamship of 1884, the hands of the clock indicated the time for 
Frank to begin the exercises of the evening, which he did with- 
out a moment's delay. 

BOOK III. 

OF THE MERCHANT SHIPS OF MANZI THAT SAIL UPON THE 

INDIAN SEAS. 
Having finished our discourse concerning those countries wherewith 
our Book hath been occupied thus far, we are now about to enter on 
the subject of India, and to tell you of all the wonders thereof. 

408 



SHIPS BUILT WITH COMPARTMENTS. 



409 



And first let us speak of the ships in which merchants go to and fro 
amongst the Isles of India. 

These ships, you must know, are of fir timber. They have but one 
deck, though each of them contains some 50 or 60 cabins, wherein the mer- 
chants abide greatly at their ease, every man having one to himself. The 
ship hath but one rudder, but it hath four masts ; and sometimes they 
have two additional masts, which they ship and unship at pleasure. 

Moreover the larger of their vessels have some thirteen compartments 
or severances in the interior, made with planking strongly framed, in case 




The Khan's Fleet Passing through the Indian Archipelago. 

mayhap the ship should spring a leak, either by running on a rock or by 
the blow of a hungry whale, as shall betide ofttimes, for when the ship in 
her course by night sends a ripple back alongside of the whale, the 
creature seeing the foam fancies there is something to eat afloat, and 
makes a rush forward, whereby it often shall stave in some part of the 
ship. In such case the water that enters the leak flows to the bilge, 
which is always kept clear ; and the mariners having ascertained where 
the damage is, empty the cargo from that compartment into those 



4IO THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

adjoining, for the planking is so well fitted that the water cannot pass 
from one compartment to another. They then stop the leak and replace 
the lading. 

The fastenings are all of good iron nails and the sides are double, one 
plank laid over the other, and caulked outside and in. The planks are 
not pitched, for those people do not have any pitch, but they daub the 
sides with another matter, deemed by them far better than pitch ; it is 
this. You see they take some lime and some chopped hemp, and these 
they knead together with a certain wood-oil ; and when the three are 
thoroughly amalgamated, they hold like any glue. And with this mix- 
ture they do pay their ships. 

Each of their great ships requires at least 200 mariners, some of them 
300. They are indeed of great size, for one ship shall carry 5000 or 6000 
baskets of pepper, and they used formerly to be larger than they are now. 
And aboard these ships, you must know, when there is no wind they use 
sweeps, and these sweeps are so big that to pull them requires four 
mariners to each. Every great ship has certain large barks or tenders 
attached to it ; these are large enough to carry 1000 baskets of pepper, 
and carry 50 or 60 mariners apiece, some of them 80 or 100, and they are 
likewise moved by oars ; they assist the great ship by towing her, at such 
times as her sweeps are in use, or even when she is under sail, if the wind 
be somewhat on the beam ; not if the wind be astern, for then the sails of 
the big ship w^ould take the wind out of those of the tenders, and she 
would run them down. Each ship has two or three of these barks, but 
one is bigger than the others. There are also some ten small boats for the 
service of each great ship, to lay out the anchors, catch fish, bring 
supplies aboard, and the like. When the ship is under sail she carries 
these boats slung to her sides. And the large tenders have their boats in 
like manner. 

When the ship has been a year in work and they wish to repair her, 
they nail on a third plank over the first two, and caulk and pay it well ; 
and when another repair is wanted they nail on yet another plank, and so 
on year by year as it is required. Howbeit, they do this only for a 
certain number of years, and till there are six thicknesses of planking. 
When a ship has come to have six planks on her sides, one over the 



FIRST DESCRIPTION OF JAPAN. 



411 



other, they take her no more on the high seas, but make use of her for 
coasting as long as she will last, and then they break her up. 

Now that I have told you about the ships which sail upon the Ocean 
Sea and among the Isles of India, let us proceed to speak of the 
various wonders of India ; but first and foremost I must tell you 
about a number of Islands that there are in that part of the Ocean 
Sea where we now are, I mean the Islands lying to the eastward. So let 
us begin with an Island which is called Chipangu. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE ISLAND OF CHIPANGU, AND THE GREAT KAAN S 
DESPATCH OF A HOST AGAINST IT. 

Chipangu is an Island towards the east in the high seas, 1500 
miles distant from the Conti- 



nent ; and a very great Island 
it is. 

The people are white, civi- (S^ 
lized, and well-favored. They 
are Idolaters, and are dependent on 
nobody. And I can tell you the quan- 
tity of gold they have is endless ; for 
they find it in their own Islands, and 
the King does not allow it to be ex- 
ported. Moreover few mer 
chants visit the country be- 
cause it is so far from 
the main land, and thus 
it comes to pass that " 
their gold is abundant 
beyond all measure. 

I will tell you a 
wonderful thing about 
the Palace of the Lord 

of that Island. You must know that he hath a great Palace which is entirely 
roofed with fine gold, just as our churches are roofed with lead, in- 
somuch that it would scarcely be possible to estimate its value. More- 




Ancient Japanese Emperor. (From a Native Drawing.) 



412 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



over, all the pavement of the Palace, and the floors of the chambers 
are entirely of gold, in plates like slabs of stone, a good two fingers 
thick ; and the windows also are of gold, so that altogether the richness 
of this Palace is past all bounds and all belief. 

They have also pearls in abundance, which are of a rose color, 
but fine, big, and round, and quite as valuable as the white ones. In 

this Island some of the dead are bur- 
ied, and others are burnt. When a 
body is burnt, they put one of these 
pearls in the mouth, for such is their 
custom. They have also. quantities of 
other precious stones. 

Cublay, the Grand Kaan who now 
reigneth, having heard much of the im- 
mense \vealth that was in this Island, 
formed a plan to get possession of it. 
For this purpose he sent two of his 
Barons with a great navy, and a great 
force of horse and foot. These Barons 
were able and valiant men, one of them 
called Abacan and the other VONSAIN- 
CHIN, and they weighed with all their 
company from the ports of Zayton and 
Kinsay, and put out to sea. They 
sailed until theyreached the Island afore- 
said, and there they landed, and occu- 
Japanese Nurse-Maid. pied the Open country and the villages, 

but did not succeed in getting possession of any city or castle. And so 
a disaster befel them, as I shall now relate. 

You must know that there was much ill-will between those two 
Barons, so that one would do nothing to help the other. And it 
came to pass that there arose a north wind which blew with great 
fury, and caused great damage along the coasts of that Island, for its 
harbors were few. It blew so hard that the Great Kaan's fleet could not 
stand against it. And when the chiefs saw that, they came to the con- 




THE QUARREL OF THE BARONS, 



413 



elusion that if the ships remained where they were the whole navy would 
perish. So they all got on board and made sail to leave the country. 
But when they had gone about four miles they came to a small Island, 
on which they were driven ashore in spite of all they could do ; and 
a large part of the fleet was wrecked, and a great multitude of the 
force perished, so that there escaped only some 30,000 men, who 
took refuge on this Island. 

These held themselves for dead men, for they were without food, and 
knew not what to do, and they were in great despair when they saw that 




Mount Fusiyama, Japan. 



such of the ships as had escaped the storm were making full sail for their 
own country without the slightest sign of turning back to help them. 
And this was because of the bitter hatred between the two Barons in 
command of the force ; for the Baron who escaped never showed the 
slightest desire to return to his colleague who was left upon the Island in 
the way you have heard ; though he might easily have done so after the 
storm ceased ; and it endured not long. He did nothing of the kind, 
however, but made straight for home. And you must know that the 



414 



THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 



Island to which the soldiers had escaped was uninhabited ; there was not 
a creature upon it but themselves. 




Yomei Gate, Nikko, Japan. 

Now we will tell you what bcfel those who escaped on the fleet, and 
also those who were left upon the Island. 



HOW THE SHIPS WERE CAPTURED. 



415 



WHAT FURTHER CAME OF THE GREAT KAAN S EXPEDITION AGAINST 

CHIPANGU. 
You see those who were left upon the Island, some 30,000 souls, as I 
have said, did hold themselves for dead men, for they saw no possible 
means of escape. And when the King of the Great Island got news how 
the one part of the expedition had saved themselves upon that Isle, and 
the other part was scattered and fled, he was right glad thereat, and he 
gathered together all 
the ships of his terri- 
tory and proceeded with 
them, the sea now being 
calm, to the little Isle, 
and landed his troops 
all round it. And when 
the Tartars saw them 
thus arrive, and the 
whole force landed, 
without any guard hav- 
ing been left on board 
the ships , (the act of 
men very little acquaint- 
ed with such work), 
they had the sagacity 
to feign flight. Now the 
Island was very high 

in the middle, and whilst Buddhist Priests, Japan. 

the enemy were hastening after them by one road they fetched a compass 
by another, and in this way managed to reach the enemy's ships and to get 
aboard of them. This they did easily enough, for they encountered no 
opposition. 

Once they were on board they got under weigh immediately for the 
great Island, and landed there, carrying with them the standards and 
banners of the King of the Island ; and in this wise they advanced to the 
capital. The garrison of the city, suspecting nothing wrong, when they 
saw their own banners advancing, supposed that it was their own host 




4i6 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO, 

returning, and so gave them admittance. The Tartars as soon as they 
had got in seized all the bulwarks and drove out all who were in the 
place. In this way the Great Kaan's people got possession of the city. 

When the King of the great Island and his army perceived that both 
fleet and city were lost, they were greatly cast down ; howbeit, they got 
away to the great Island on board some of the ships which had not been 
carried off. And the King then gathered all his host to the siege of the 
city, and invested it so straitly that no one could go in or come out. 
Those who were within held the place for seven months, and strove by all 




Japanese Street and Canal. 

means to send word to the Great Kaan ; but it was all in vain ; they 
never could get the intelligence carried to him. So when they saw they 
could hold out no longer they gave themselves up, on condition that 
their lives should be spared, but still that they should never quit the 
Island. And this befel in the year of our Lord 1279. The Great Kaan 
ordered the Baron who had fled so disgracefully to lose his head. And 
afterwards he caused the other also, who had been left on the Island, to 
be put to death, for he had never behaved as a good soldier ought to do. 
But I must tell you a wonderful thing that I had forgotten, which 
happened on this expedition. 



JAPANESE SORCERY. 417 

You see, at the beginning of the affair, when the Kaan's people had 
landed on the great Island and occupied the open country as I told you, 
they stormed a tower belonging to some of the islanders who refused to 
surrender, and they cut off the heads of all the garrison except eight ; 
on these eight they found it impossible to inflict any wound ! Now this 
was by virtue of certain stones which they had in their arms inserted 
between the skin and the flesh, with such skill as not to show at all 
externally. And the charm and virtue of these stones was such that 
those who wore them could never perish by steel. So when the Barons 
learned this they ordered the men to be beaten to death with clubSo 
And after their death the stones were extracted from the bodies of all, 
and were greatly prized. 




Gateway of a Japanese Temple. 

Now the Story of the discomfiture of the Great Kaan's folk came to 
pass as I have told you. But let us have done with that matter, and 
return to our subject. 

** The picture before you," said Fred, as he rose to comment 
upon what Frank had read, ''may be taken as a representation 
of a Chinese fleet of to-day. In Polo's time the Chinese had 
made greater progress in naval architecture than the nations of 
Europe, and it is doubtless owing to this circumstance that he 
describes the Khan's fleet so minutely. But they have made no 



418 777^ TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

advance in the six centuries that have elapsed ; their junks to- 
day are fashioned exactly like those of a thousand years ago, and 
managed in the same manner. None of them can sail more 
than eight miles an hour, and to accomplish even this they must 
have the wind fully in their favor. They are built of pine or 
fir, are caulked with hemp, old nets, and the fibre of a creeping 
vine that grows abundantly in China, and daubed with wood oil 
obtained from a tree which they call Tong-shu. Many of them 
use sweeps or great oars which require three or four men to 
handle, and their sails are of matting instead of canvas. About 
the only change is in their armament, as they now carry cannon 
for aggressive or defensive purposes ; cannon were unknown in 
Polo's time and therefore the war-ships of the Khan could hardly 
be expected to have had batteries of artillery. 

''You may think the size of the crew exaggerated, but it is 
not at all. unlikely that the junks carried as many people as 
Marco tells us. At the present time junks carry great numbers 
of men. I quote the following from the Chinese Repository : 

"In February, 1822, Captain Pearl, of the English ship Indiana, 
coming through Caspar Straits, fell in with the cargo and crew of a 
wrecked junk, and saved 198 persons out of 1600, with whom she had left 
Amoy, whom he landed at Pontianak." 

'' One important statement in Polo's narrative deserves your 
attention. He says the ships are divided into compartments or 
severances in the interior, as a precaution in case they should run 
upon rocks or be attacked by hungry whales, The use of water- 
tight compartments in ships seems to have been quite unknown 
in Europe until very recently, or at any rate no ships were con- 
structed on that plan until within this century. The companies 
engaged in navigating the Atlantic between America and Europe 
advertise that their ships are built in compartments, and this prin- 
ciple has been practically adopted within the last thirty years. 
So, you see, we have gone back to the Chinese for our instruc- 
tion, or rather what many have claimed as an invention of the 



HOW THE CHINESE JUNK IS BUILT, 



419 



nineteenth century was in use among the Chinese in the thir- 
teenth. The advantages of the compartment system have been 
well shown in numerous instances in the last decade or two. 
Many a steamer crashing into an iceberg or colliding with an- 
other ship would have gone to the bottom of the ocean if she had 
been constructed in the old way. There is this difference 
between the Chinese and ourselves, that they seem to have made 
thirteen compartments in their ships while we are contented with 
five or six. 




Japanese Farm House. 

'' In the modern Chinese junk the compartments are often 
rented to merchants for the storage of their goods ; each mer- 
chant has a compartment to himself, and he also has a voice in 
the management of the ship, so that there are often as many cap- 
tains as there are places hired out. If they are harmonious all 
goes well enough and every thing is left to the sailing-master, but 
it often happens that they want to go to half a dozen places at 
once, and sometimes when a storm arises there is a great differ- 
ence of opinion as to whether they should continue on their- 



420 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



course or run back to the place they started from. There is a 
lively conference among them on the subject ; all talk at once, 
and occasionally it ends in a fight with hands and weapons before 
the junk's course can be determined. 

"They occasionally have boats in tow as Polo describes, and 
as shown in the picture, but less frequently than he seems to 
indicate. He is not altogether right in saying that they cover a 

junk with an extra 
planking when she 
has been at work for 
a year, and continue 
this process till they 
have covered her with 
six thicknesses of 
planks. The junks 
are very solidly built, 
and as they only ven- 
ture to sea in good 
weather, and run for 
_ a port at the first sign 
of a storm, they last a 
long time. Dr. Allen 
^ was told in China that 
~ there are many junks 
now in service that 
have been steadily at 
work for a hundred 

Summer and Winter Dress. yearS, and it is UOt at 

all unusual to see one that has belonged in a family of sailors for 
two or three generations." 

One of the young listeners wished to know the derivation of 
the word ''junk." 

'' The word in Chinese is June or chune,'' was the reply, *' and 
its plural is Jomck. I believe, however, that the Portuguese claim 
that it comes from their word juncOy meaning ship or boat, but 




A SHIP THA T CAN SEE 



4^1 



the Chinese say they had that name for their vessels before Por- 
tugal was ever heard of. An English traveller, in an effort to be 
funny, said the Chinese built their ships a mile or two long and 
cut o^ 2ijunk whenever they wanted one, and hence the name. 

'' Polo says nothing about the Chinese custom, now universal, 
of painting an eye on each side of the bows of all their water 
craft, no matter whether they are boats or junks. The usage 
probably arose from copying the form of a fish or sea-monster as 
the model, and painting the eyes in their proper position. All 




Temple Gateway at Isshinden, Japan. 

the steamers belonging to the China Merchants' Company have 
eyes painted upon them in conformity to Chinese custom. The 
people believe that a ship without eyes cannot avoid accidents, 
and explain it thus : ' Got eye, can see, can savey ; no got eye, 
no see, no savey.' 

'* Contrary to general belief junks can make long voyages, 
though they rarely go beyond what may be called their native 
seas of Japan, China, and Java. Several junks have been to 
Europe, and one at least came to New York thirty or forty years 



422 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



ago, and was ultimately destroyed there by fire. The crew of 
this junk mostly remained in New York, and formed the basis of 
the present Chinese population of that city. 

'' With the Khan's fleet of junks we will sail to Chipangu, the 
Japan of to-day. As already mentioned, Japan was wholly un- 
known to Europe, and had never been heard of in any way until 
Marco gave an account of it. This is one of the parts of his 




Entrance to Shrine of Seventh Shogun, Tokio. 

Story which was rejected as fabulous, but has been verified by 
time. 

''The story of the cheapness of gold was well founded, as that 
metal was nearly as abundant as silver. For a long time it was 
held at the same value, and when Japan was opened to the trade 
of foreign countries, after the expedition of Commodore Perry, 
the official relative values of gold and silver were three for one. 
Of course this condition of things was changed very quickly. 
The palace with a golden roof and with a floor of gold two inches 



JAPANESE TEMPLES AND TOMBS. 



423 



thick is an interesting fable. Palaces in Japan are noted for their 
inexpensive character ; they often cover a large area, but are of 
modest exterior and no architectural beauty. The Japanese 
spend more money on their royal and imperial tombs than on 
their dwelling-places ; the tombs of the skoguns or taicoons in 
Tokio and some of the shrines and memorials at Nikko and 
other places are models of mortuary resting-places. 

*' Kublai Khan made several efforts to conquer Japan, but 
was repulsed in all of them. Quite likely the story of the quarrels 




Exterior of a Japanese Temple. 

of the rival generals is true, but the capture of the city by the 
shipwrecked crew borders on the marvellous. Besides, there is 
no record of it in Japanese or Chinese histories. The belief in 
charms was prevalent in those days, and it is quite natural that 
Marco should tell the story of the wonderful preservation of 
eight soldiers of the garrison of the tower by reason of the small 
stones imbedded in their arms. The practice of imbedding these 
stones in the flesh still prevails in the Andaman Islands, and in 
Java, Sumatra, and other parts of the Eastern Archipelago. 



424 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

'' But I have taken a long time," said Fred, ''for the com- 
ments on the opening chapters of the third book, and will now 
make way for Frank." Fred returned to his seat, and Frank re- 
sumed the narrative. 

CONCERNING THE FASHION OF THE IDOLS. 

Now you must know that the Idols of Cathay, and of Manzi, and of 
this Island, are all of the same class. And in this Island as well as 
elsewhere, there be some of the Idols that have the head of an ox, some 
that have the head of a pig, some of a dog, some of a sheep, and some of 
divers other kinds. And some of them have four heads, whilst some have 
three, one growing out of either shoulder. There are also some that 
have four hands, some ten, some a thousand ! And they do put more 
faith in those Idols that have a thousand hands than in any of the others. 
And when any Christian asks them why they make their Idols in so many 
different guises, and not all alike, they reply that just so their forefathers 
were wont to have them made, and just so they will leave them to their 
children, and these to the after generations. And so they will be handed 
down for ever. And you must understand that the deeds ascribed to 
these Idols are such a parcel of devilries as it is best not to tell. So let 
us have done with the Idols, and speak of other things. 

But I must tell you one thing still concerning that Island (and 't is the 
same with the other Indian Islands), that if the natives take prisoner an 
enemy who cannot pay a ransom, he who hath the prisoner summons 
all his friends and relations, and they put the prisoner to death, and then 
they cook him and eat him, and they say there is no meat in the world so 
good ! 

The Sea in which lie the Islands of those parts is called the Sea OF 
Chin, which is as much as to say, '' The Sea over against Manzi." For, 
in the language of those Isles, when they say ChiUy 'tis Manzi they mean. 
And I tell you with regard to that Eastern Sea of Chin, according to 
what is said by the experienced pilots and mariners of those parts, there 
be 7,459 Islands in the waters frequented by the said mariners ; and that 
is how they know the fact, for their whole life is spent in navigating that 
sea. And there is not one of those Islands but produces valuable and 



THE FAR EASTERN SEAS. 



425 



odorous woods like the lignaloe, aye and better too ; and they produce 
also a great variety of spices. For example in those Islands grows pepper 
as white as snow, as well as the black in great quantities. In fact the 
riches of those Islands is something wonderful, whether in gold or precious 
stones, or in all manner of spicery ; but they lie so far off from the main 
land that it is hard to get to them. And when the ships of Zayton and 
Kinsay do voyage thither they make vast profits by their venture. 

It takes them a whole year for the voyage, going in winter and return- 
ing in summer. For in that Sea there are but two winds that blow, the 




House on the Shore. 

one that carries them outward and the other that brings them homeward ; 
and the one of these winds blows all the winter, and the other all the 
summer. And you must know these regions are so far from India that it 
takes a long time also for the voyage thence. 

Though that Sea is called the Sea of Chin, as I have told you, yet it 
is part of tlie Ocean Sea all the same. But just as in these parts people 
talk of the Sea of England and the Sea of Rochelle, so in those countries 
they speak of the Sea of Chin and the Sea of India, and so on, though 
they all are are but parts of the Ocean. 



426 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO, 



Now let us have done with that region which is very inaccessible and 
out of the way. Moreover, Messer Marco Polo never was there. And 
let me tell you the Great Kaan has nothing to do with them, nor do they 
render him any tribute or service. 

So let us go back to Zayton and take up the order of our book from 
that point. 

OF THE GREAT COUNTRY CALLED CHAMBA. 

You must know that on leaving the port of Zayton you sail west- 
south-west for 1500 miles, and then you come to a country called 
Chamba, a very rich region, having a king of its own. The people are 

Idolaters and pay a yearly tribute to 
the Great Kaan, which consists of ele- 
phants and nothing but elephants. And 
I will tell you how they came to pay this 
tribute. 

It happened in the year 1278 that the 
Great Kaan sent a Baron of his called 
Sagatu, with a great force of horse and 
foot against this King of Chamba, and 
this Baron opened the war on a great 
scale against the King and his country. 
Now the King, whose name was 
Accambale, was a very aged man, 
nor had he such a force as the Baron had. And when he saw what havoc 
the Baron was making with his kingdom he was grieved to the heart. So 
he bade messengers get ready and despatched them to the Great Kaan. 
And they said to the Kaan : " Our Lord the King of Chamba salutes 
you as his liege-lord, and would have you to know that he is stricken in 
years and long hath held his realm in peace. And now he sends you 
word by us that he is willing to be your liege-man, and will send you 
every year a tribute of as many elephants as you please. And he prays 
you in all gentleness and humility that you would send word to your 
Baron to desist from harrying his kingdom and to quit his territories. 
These shall henceforth be at your absolute disposal, and the King shall 
hold them of you." 




Japanese Peasant. 



THE ISLAND OF JA VA. 



,427 



When the Great Kaan had heard the King's ambassage he was moved 
with pity, and sent word to that Baron of his to quit that kingdom with 
his army, and to carry his arms to the conquest of some other country ; 
and as soon as this command reached them they obeyed it. Thus it was 
then that this King became vassal of the Great Kaan, and paid him every 
year a tribute of 20 of the greatest and finest' elephants that were to be 
found in the country. 

In that kingdom no woman is allowed to marry until the King shall 
have seen her ; if the woman pleases him then he takes her to wife ; if 
she does not, he gives her a dowry 
to get her a husband withal. In the 
year 1285, Messer Marco Polo was in that 
country, and at that time the King had, 
between sons and daughters, 326 children, 
of whom at least 150 were men fit to carry 
arms. 

There are very great numbers of ele- 
phants in thi3 kingdom, and they have 
lignaloes in great abundance. They have 
also extensive forests of the wood called 
Boniis, which is jet-black, and of which 
chessmen and pen-cases are made. 




Hairy Men of Northern Japan. 



CONCERNING THE GREAT ISLAND OF JAVA. 

When you sail from Chamba, 1500 miles in a course between south 
and south-east, you come to a great Island called Java. And the ex- 
perienced mariners of those Islands who know the matter well, say that it 
is the greatest Island in the world, and has a compass of more than 3000 
miles. It is subject to a great King and tributary to no one else in the 
world. The people are Idolaters. The Island is of surpassing wealth, 
producing black pepper, nutmegs, spikenard, galingale, cubebs, cloves, 
and all other kinds of spices. 

This Island is also frequented by a vast amount of shipping, and by 
merchants who buy and sell costly goods from which they reap great 
profit. Indeed the treasure of this Island is so great as to be past telling. 



428 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



And I can assure you the Great Kaan never could get possession of this 
Island, on account of its great distance, and the great expense of an ex- 
pedition thither. The merchants of Zayton and Manzi draw annually 
great returns from this country. 

WHEREIN THE ISLES OF SONDUR AND CONDUR ARE SPOKEN OF; AND 
THE KINGDOM OF LOCAC. 

When you leave Chamba and sail for 700 miles on a course between 
south and south-west, you arrive at two Islands, a greater and a less. 




A Family Party. (From a Native Sketch.) 

The one is called SONDUR and the other CONDUR. As there is nothing 
about them worth mentioning, let us go on five hundred miles beyond 
Sondur, and then we find another country which is called LoCAC. It is 
a good country and a rich ; it is on the mainland, and it has a king of its 
own. The people are Idolaters and have a peculiar language, and pay 
tribute to nobody, for their country is so situated that no one can enter 
it to do them ill. Indeed if it were possible to get at it, the Great Kaan 
would soon bring them under subjection to him. 



THE MALA V ARCHIPELAGO. 



429 



In this country the brazil which we make use of grows in great plenty ; 
and they also have gold in incredible quantity. They have elephants 
likewise, and much game. In this kingdom too are gathered all the 
porcelain shells which are used for small change in all those regions, 
as I have told you before. 

There is nothing else to mention except that this is a very wild region, 
visited by few people ; nor does the king desire that any stranger should 
frequent the country, and so find out about his treasure and other re- 
sources. We will now proceed, and tell you of something else. 




Native Houses. 



" The Sea of Chin," said Fred, " is very evidently the China 
Sea, which we can readily find on the maps, but probably its 
boundaries were far more vague in Polo's time than at present. 
The islands which he places in it are doubtless the Philippines, 
Moluccas, and other groups in the Malay Archipelago, but he 
goes beyond modern navigators in giving their number with such 
exactness. Nobody knows to-day the precise number of islands 
in the archipelago, and there is no likelihood of there ever being 
an agreement on the subject. The trouble arises from the fact 
that what are accounted islands by one navigator are called rocks 
by another. It is as difficult to draw the distinction between an 



430 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



island and a rock as to fix the exact date when a kitten becomes a 
cat. 

'' By Chamba he evidently means Cochin China, which was 
known to Western Asiatics as Champa down to the fifteenth cen- 
tury. Elephants used to form part of the presents which the 
rulers of Indo-China sent as their tribute to the emperor, and 
the custom may have originated somewhat as he tells us. ' The 
wood called Bonus ' is know to us as ebony, and derives its name 




Scene in the Harbor of Bangkok, Siam. 

from the Persian Abnus. Brazil, or Brazil wood, is known in 
the East by the Malay name Sappan ; it is found in Chamba, 
but more abundantly in Siam and the Malay Peninsula. 

''It is a pity that Marco has so little to tell us about Java, 
and more a pity that his brief information is not altogether cor- 
rect. Java has a circuit of about half the three thousand miles 
he gives it ; the island does not produce nutmegs or cloves, 
though they were probably taken there for a market as they are 
to-day ; and if he means gold when he mentions treasure,- he is 



THE KING OF SI AM. 431 

wrong, as no gold is found there. Kublai Khan attempted to 
conquer Java, but failed as badly as in his effort to subjugate 
Japan. 

'' Sondur and Condur you can find on a good map if you look 
for Pulo Condore. Pulo is a Malay word meaning ' island,' and 
you often find it as the prefix to names of islands in the Malay 
group. Locac, where they have gold in incredible quantities, 
elephants and much game, is the kingdom of Siam. Its enlight- 
ened ruler of to-day, Chulalonkorn I., is as independent of the 
Emperor of China as were his predecessors in their defiance of 
the great Kublai Khan. The present dynasty on the Siamese 
throne was founded in 1351, and its first king built the city of 
Ayuthia, whose ruins exist about a hundred miles north of Bang- 
kok, the present capital." 

'' We will stop now," said Fred, '' and at our next meeting 
will have more to tell you of the islands of the great Archi- 
pelago." 



CHAPTER XX. 

The Malay Peninsula — Sumatra — Island of the Dog-Headed Men — Strange Customs — -Descrip- 
tion of Ceylon — Abundance of Precious Stones — Adam's Peak — Story and Relics of Buddha 
— How the Great Khan Obtained Them — Teeth of Buddha at Kandy and Foochow. 

Frank was as prompt as usual in beginning the exercises 
of the next evening, and recounting the wonders of the Eastern 
Archipelago as described by Polo. 

OF THE ISLAND CALLED PENTAM, AND THE CITY MALAIUR. 

When you leave Locac and sail 500 miles towards the south, you 
come to an Island called Pentam, a very wild place. All the wood that 
grows thereon consists of odoriferous trees. There is no more to say 
about it ; so let us sail about sixty miles further between those two 
Islands. Throughout this distance there is but four paces' depth of 
water, so that great ships in passing this channel have to lift their 
rudders, for they draw nearly as much water as that. 

And when you have gone these 60 miles, and again about 
30 more, you come to an Island which forms a Kingdom, and is 
called Malaiur. The people have a King of their own, and a peculiar 
language. The city is a fine and noble one, and there is great trade 
carried on there. All kinds of spicery are to be found there, and all 
other necessaries of life. 

concerning the island of JAVA THE LESS. THE KINGDOMS OF 

FERLEC AND BASMA. 

When you leave the Island of Pentam and sail about 100 miles 
you reach the Island of Java THE LESS. For all its name 't is none 
so small but that it has a compass of two thousand miles or more. Now 
I will tell you all about this Island. 

You see there are upon it eight kingdoms and eight crowned kings. 

432 



THE KINGDOM OF FERLEC. 



433 



The people are all Idolaters, and every kingdom has a language of 
its own. The Island hath great abundance of treasure, with costly 
spices, lignaloes and spikenard and many others that never come into 
our parts. 

Now I am going to tell you all about these eight kingdoms, or at 
least the greater part of them. But let me premise one marvellous thing, 
and that is the fact that this Island lies so far to the south that the North 
Star, little or much, is never to be seen ! 




View in Java. 

And first I will tell you of the kingdom of Ferlec. 

This kingdom, you must know, is so much frequented by the Saracen 
merchants that they have converted the natives to the Law of Ma- 
hommet — I mean the townspeople only, for the hill-people live for all the 
world like beasts, and eat human flesh, as well as all other kinds of flesh,, 
clean or unclean. And they worship this, that, and the other thing; 
for in fact the first thing that they see on rising in the morning, that they 
do worship for the rest of the day. 



434 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



I will now tell of another kingdom which is called Basma. 

When you quit the kingdom of Ferlec you enter upon Basma. This 
also is an independent kingdom, and the people have a language of their 
own ; but they are just like beasts without laws or religion. They call 
themselves subjects of the Great Kaan, but they pay him no tribute ; 
indeed they are so far away that his men could not go thither. Still all 
these Islanders declare themselves to be his subjects, and sometimes they 
send him curiosities as presents. There are wild elephants in the country, 

-ff^-- ^r:::^.r--ssi^^-^ _ _.. _ ^ ^"^^ numerous uni- 

i./^^-^^=r.^ =-^_ .-^- corns, which are very 

nearly as big. They 
have hair like that of 
a buffalo, feet like 
those of an elephant, 
and a horn in the mid- 
dle of the forehead, 
which is black and 
very thick. They do 
no mischief, however, 
with the horn, but with 
the tongue alone ; for 
this is covered all over 
with long and strong 
prickles, and when 
savage with any one 
they crush him under their knees and then rasp him with their tongue. 
The head resembles that of a wild boar, and they carry it ever bent 
toward the ground. They delight much to abide in mire and mud. 
'T is a passing ugly beast to look upon, and is not in the least like that 
which our stories tell of as being caught in the lap of a virgin ; in fact, 
't is altogether different from what we fancied. There are also monkeys 
here in great numbers and of sundry kinds ; and goshawks as black as 
crows. These are very large birds and capital for fowling. 

I may tell you moreover that when people bring home pygmies which 
they allege to come from India, 't is all a lie and a cheat. For those 




The Rhinoceros at Home. 



THE ISLAND OF SUM A TRA. 



435 



little men, as they call them, are manufactured on this Island, and I will 
tell you how. You see there is on the Island a kind of monkey which is 
very small, and has a face just like a man's. They take these, and pluck 
out all the hair except the hair of the beard and on the breast, and then 
they dry them and stuff them and daub them with saffron and other 
things until they look like 
men. But you see it is all 
a cheat ; for nowhere in 
India nor anywhere else in 
the world were there ever 
men seen so small as these 
pretended pygmies. 

THE KINGDOMS OF SAM- 
ARA AND DAGROIAN. 

When you leave Basma 
you come to another king- 
dom called Samara, on the 
same Island. And in that 
kingdom Messer Marco 
Polo was detained five 
months by the weather, 
which would not allow of 
his going on. And I tell 
you that here again neither 
the Pole-star nor the stars 
of the Maestro were to be 
seen, much or httle. The 
people here are wild Idol- 
aters ; they have a king 
who is great and rich ; but 

they also call themselves subjects of the Great Kaan. When Messer Mark 
was detained on this Island five months by contrary winds, he landed with 
about 2000 men in his company ; they dug large ditches on the landward 
side to encompass the party, resting at either end on the sea-haven, and 




Plants of Sumatra. 



436 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO, 

within these ditches they made bulwarks or stockades of timber for fear of 
those brutes of man-eaters ; for there is great store of wood there ; and the 
islanders having confidence in the party supplied them with victuals and 
other things needful. There is abundance of fish to be had, the best in 
the world. The people have no wheat, but live on rice. Nor have they 
any wine except such as I shall now describe. 

They derive it from a certain kind of tree that they have. When 
they want wine they cut a branch of this, and attach a great pot to the 
stem of the tree at the place where the branch was cut ; in a day and a 
night they will find the pot filled. This wine is excellent drink, and is 
got both white and red. It is of such surpassing virtue that it cures 
dropsy and tisick and spleen. The trees resemble small date-palms ; 
* * * and when cutting a branch no longer gives a flow of wine they 
water the root of the tree, and before long the branches again begin to 
give out wine as before. They have also great quantities of Indian nuts 
as big as a man's head, which are good to eat when fresh, being sweet 
and savory and white as milk. The inside of the meat of the nut is filled 
with a liquor like clear fresh water, but better to the taste, and more 
delicate than wine or any other drink that ever existed. 

When you leave Samara you come to another which is called Da- 
GROIAN. It is an independent kingdom, and has a language of its own. 
The people are very wild, but they call themselves the subjects of the 
Great Kaan. I will tell you a wicked custon of theirs. 

When one of them is ill they send for their sorcerers, and put the 
question to them, whether the sick man shall recover from his sickness or 
no. If they say that he will recover, then they let him alone till he 
gets better. But if the sorcerers foretell that the sick man is to die, the 
friends send for certain judges of theirs to put to death him who has thus 
been condemned by the sorcerers to die. These men come, and lay so 
many clothes upon the sick man's mouth that they suffocate him. And 
when he is dead they have him cooked, and gather together all the dead 
man's kin, and eat him. And when they have eaten him they collect his 
bones and put them in fine chests, and carry them away, and place them 
in caverns among the mountains where no beast or other creature can get 
at them. And you must know also that if they take prisoner a man of 



A RACE OF MEN WITH TAILS, 



437 



another country, and he cannot pay a ransom in coin, they kill him and 
eat him straightway. 

OF THE KINGDOMS OF i^AMBRI AND FANSUR. 
When you leave that kingdom you come to another which is called 
Lambri. The people have plenty of Camphor and of all sorts of other 
spices. They also have brazil in great quantities. This they sow, and 
when it is grown to the size of a small shoot they take it up and trans- 
plant it ; then they let it grow for three years, after which they tear it up 
by the root. In this kingdom there are men with tails; these tails are of 




Interior of a Native House. 

a palm in length, and have no hair on them. These people live in the 
mountains and are a kind of wild men. Their tails are about the thick- 
ness of a dog's. There are also plenty of unicorns in that country, and 
abundance of game in birds and beasts. 

You then come to another kingdom which is called Fansur. The 
people are Idolaters, and also call themselves subjects of the Great Kaan ; 
and understand, they are still on the same Island that I have been telling 
you of. In Fansur grows the best Camphor in'the world, called Canfora 
Fansuri. It is so fine that it sells for its weight in fine gold. 



TREES THA T PRODUCE FLOUR, 439 

The people have' no wheat, but have rice which they eat with milk 
and flesh. They also have wine from trees such as I told you of. And I 
will tell you another great marvel. They have a kind of trees that pro- 
duce flour, and excellent flour it is for food. These trees are very tall and 
thick, but have a very thin bark, and inside the bark they are crammed 
with flour. And I tell you that Messer Marco Polo, who witnessed all 
this, related how he and his party did sundry times partake of this flour 
made into bread, and found it excellent. 

I shall tell you nothing about the other two kingdoms that are at the 
other side of the Island, for the said Messer Marco Polo never was there. 
Howbeit we have told you about the greater part of this Island of the 
Lesser Java ; so now we will quit it. 

CONCERNING THE ISLAND OF NECUVERAN. 

When you leave the Island of Java (the less) and the kingdom of 
Lambri, you sail north about 150 miles, and then you come to two 
Islands, one of which is called NECUVERAN. In this Island they have no 
king nor chief, but live like beasts. And I tell you they go all naked, 
both men and women, and do not use the slightest covering of any kind. 
They are Idolaters. Their woods are all of noble and valuable kinds of 
trees ; such as Red Sanders and Indian-nut and Cloves and Brazil and 
sundry other good spices. 

*' There Is no difficulty In Identifying most of the places 
mentioned In what Frank has just read to us," said Fred, as he 
gave a hasty glance at his notes. *' The Island called Pentam Is 
generally marked BIntang on our maps, and Is more properly 
Bentan. Don't confound It with Bantam, the province of the 
western end of Java, whose name has become familiar to us In 
the Bantam fowls that abound In many poultry yards. BIntang 
Is at the eastern end of the Straits of Malacca, and produces a 
considerable variety of spiced woods as Polo describes. Malaiur 
Is the southern extremity of the Malay Peninsula, and Marco Is 
In error when he calls It an Island. The shallow passage he 
speaks of Is the strait which separates Singapore from the main- 



440 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



land ; it is navigable only for small craft and tigers. The latter 
frequently swim over from the mainland to Singapore to feed 
upon the inhabitants of the island, and in some years as many as 
three hundred of the people have been killed by these ferocious 





-^ />- 




Wild Races of the Malay Peninsula. 

beasts. Col. Yule thinks that the narrow passage is the channel 
separating Singapore from Bintang, and not the one where the 
tigers cross from the mainland. 

'' Java the Less is the great island of Sumatra, and Marco 
has stated its circumference somewhat under the actual figures. 



CANNIBALS IN SUMATRA, 



441 



The inhabitants are now, as in his day, divided into several king- 
doms independent of each other ; a part of the island has been 
occupied by the Dutch, and is within the government of the 
Netherlands East Indies. The Dutch occupation is by no means 
a peaceful one, and many of you have read in the past few years 
of the war between the Dutch and the people of Acheen, an 
independent province at the western end of the island. Most of 
the natives are Moslems, but they do not hold closely to the faith, 
especially in the interior of the island. There were doubtless 




Malay Youth and Maiden. 

more than eight kingdoms or principalities in Sumatra in Polo's 
time, but it is evident that his information about them was not 
very distinct." 

Some one asked if there are cannibals in Sumatra at present, 
and if their practices resemble those mentioned by Marco. 

'' Our information on this subject is not very precise," replied 
Fred, '' but, according to the testimony of several travellers and 
the Dutch officials, the horrible custom of eating human flesh 
still prevails 'among the Battas, a warlike people occupying the 
high table-lands of the interior. It is governed by fixed rules, 



442 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

however, which are well understood throughout the country. 
Men convicted of certain crimes are condemned to be eaten, and 
so are prisoners in war captured outside their villages; those 
taken within their villages are spared. Traitors and spies are to 
be eaten, but may be ransomed for sixty dollars each. In all the 
part of Sumatra occupied by the Dutch the custom has been 
abolished and will probably disappear altogether before many 
years. 

" The elephant abounds in Sumatra, and so does the rhi- 
noceros, which is the unicorn of Polo. The fondness of the 
rhinoceros for lying in the mud is well known to the natives, and 
they take advantage of it in hunting him. He lies there with 
only part of his head visible. When the mud becomes dry and 
crusty in summer he cannot get out of It without much difficulty, 
and at such times the natives prepare large quantities of dry 
brushwood, approach quietly and build a large fire over their 
prey before he Is aware what they are about. They continue to 
pile on fresh fuel, and he Is cooked and made ready for eating In 
the spot where he was taking a comfortable nap. Marco relates 
an old fable In describing the use which the rhinoceros makes of 
his tongue. 

'' Monkeys of several kinds, and tropical birds and animals In 
great variety are found in Suriiatra, and If time permitted I could 
give you an evening's lecture concerning them. The Samara of 
Polo Is doubtless Sumatra, by which name the southern part of 
the island was then called, and he Is quite correct in saying that 
neither the north star nor the Maestro (Great Bear constellation) 
Is visible from there. The tree which produces wine is the 
toddy-palm, called Gomuti by the Malays. The juice is fer- 
mented till It forms an Intoxicating drink called '' toddy," or It 
may be boiled down till It granulates Into sugar. The horrible 
treatment of the sick which our author mentions is probably 
without foundation, though the story has been repeated down to 
the present time, and Is still current. It Is always told regarding 
a people at a distance, and generally of a tribe hostile to the one 
where the information is obtained. 



THE SAGO PALM. 



443 




'' Lambrl and Fansur cannot be clearly identified, nor is there 
any thing authentic concerning the men with tails, though such 
stories have been current through all ages, and in different parts 
of the world. Camphor is abundant in Sumatra, and so is sago, 
which Marco describes under the name of flour obtained from trees. " 

'' I thought sago was made from 
a plant like a potato," remarked one 
of the boys who sat near 
Fred. 

'' Not at all," answer- 
ed the youth ; '' you are 
probably thinkng of the 
yam, from which a sort 
of flour is made. Sago 
is made from a species of 
palm, thicker and larger than the cocoa- 
palm, but not so tall. When it is about 
fifteen years old the tree blossoms and 
then dies. Just as it is about to blos- 
som it is cut down and the whole inside 
of the trunk is reduced to powder ; 
this powder is washed and strained 
through a coarse sieve into a tub of 
water, where the sago settles to the bot- 
tom and is secured. It is 
afterwards formed into 
cakes and dried in an oven, 
and when thoroughly 
dried it can be kept for 
years. One tree will 

produce from 800 to 1,000 pounds of sago ; this will support a 
man a year, and two men can reduce a tree to sago in five days. 
Consequently in the sago country ten days' labor annually is 
sufificient for a man's support. 

'* In regard to the inhabitants of Necuveran, which was 




Gomuti Palm. 



ISLAND OF DOG-HEADED MEN. 445 

probably the Nicobar group, the Chinese have a curious tradi- 
tion. They say that when Buddha passed that way he stopped 
at the Nicobar Islands to bathe, and while he was in the water 
the natives stole his clothes. In revenge he ordained that they 
never should be permitted to wear any clothing, and his decree 
has continued in force till the present time. 

*' I am now about to sit down," said Fred, '' and you will 
hear from Frank again. He will first read about Angamanain, by 
which Marco means the Andaman Islands, which are occupied 
by a very barbarous people. They are small in stature and par- 
ticularly ugly, and it is probably for this reason that they were 
reputed to have heads like dogs. Pictures of dog-headed men 
are in existence, and for a long time the story concerning them 
was believed. Marco is wrong when he says they have rice and 
milk, as they have neither ; they have some fruits but not many. 
They are reputed to be cannibals, and are certainly among the 
most inhospitable people in the East. The English Govern- 
ment has had for some time a penal colony on the Andaman 
Islands, and some efforts have been made to civilize the natives, 
but without success." 

All were intent to heat from Polo's narrative the description 
of this curious race, and there was perfect silence as Frank 
proceeded. 

CONCERNING THE ISLAND OF ANGAMANAIN. 
Angamanain is a very large Island. The people are without a king 
and are Idolaters, and no better than wild beasts. And I assure you all 
the men of this Island of Angamanain have heads like dogs, and teeth 
and eyes likewise ; in fact, in the face they are all just like big mastiff 
dogs ! They have a quantity of spices ; but they are a most cruel genera- 
tion, and eat everybody that they can catch, if not of their own race. 
They live on flesh and rice and milk, and have fruits different from any 

of ours. 

CONCERNING THE ISLAND OF SEILAN. 

When you leave the Island of Angamanain and sail about a thousand 
miles in a direction a little south of west, you come to the Island of 



446 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

Seilan, which is in good sooth the best Island of its size in the world. 
You must know that it has a compass of 2,400 miles, but in old times it 
was greater still, for it then had a circuit of about 3,600 miles, as you find 
in the charts of the mariners of those seas. But the north wind there 
blows with such strength that it has caused the sea to submerge a large 
part of the Island; and that is the reason why it is not so big now as it 
used to be. On the side where the north wind strikes, the Island is very 
low and fiat, insomuch that in approaching on board ship from the high 
seas you do not see the land till you are right upon it. 

They have a king there whom they call Sendemain, and are tributary 
to nobody. The people are Idolaters, and go quite naked except that 
they cover the middle. They have no wheat, but have rice, and sesamum 
of which they make their oil. They live on fiesh and milk, and have tree- 
wine such as I have told you of. And they have brazil-wood, much the 
best in the world. 

Rubies are found in this Island and in no other country in the world 
but this. They find there also sapphires and topazes and amethysts, and 
many other stones of price. And the King of this Island possesses a 
ruby which is the finest and biggest in the world ; I will tell you what it 
is like. It is about a palm in length, and as thick as a man's arm ; to 
look at, it is the most resplendent object upon earth ; it is quite free from 
fiaw and as red as fire. Its value is so great that a price for it in money 
could hardly be named at all. You must know that the Great Kaan sent 
an embassy and begged the King as a favor greatly desired by him to 
sell him this ruby, offering to give for it the ransom of a city, or in fact 
what the King would. But the King replied that on no account what- 
ever would he sell it, for it had come to him from his ancestors. 

The people of Seilan are no soldiers, but poor cowardly creatures. 
And when they have need of soldiers they get Saracen troops from for- 
eign parts. 

THE SAME CONTINUED. THE HISTORY OF SAGAMONI BORCAN AND 
THE BEGINNING OF IDOLATRY. 

Furthermore you must know that in the Island of Seilan there is an 
exceeding high mountain ; it rises right up so steep and precipitous that 



448 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

no one could ascend it, were it not that they have taken and fixed to it 
several great and massive iron chains, so disposed that by help of these 
men are able to mount to the top. And I tell you they say that on this 
mountain is the sepulchre of Adam our first parent ; at least that is what 
the Saracens say. But the Idolaters say it is the sepulchre of Sagamoni 
BORCAN, before whose time there were no idols. They hold him to have 
been the best of men, a great saint in fact, according to their fashion, 
and the first in whose name idols were made. 

He was the son, as their story goes, of a great and wealthy king. 
And, he was of such an holy temper that he would never listen to 
any worldly talk, nor would he consent to be king. And when the father 
saw that his son would not be king, nor yet take any part in affairs, 
he took it sorely to heart. And first he tried to tempt him with 
great promises, offering to crown him king, and to surrender all authority 
into his hands. The son, however, would none of his offers; so the father 
was in great trouble, and all the more that he had no other son but him, 
to whom he might bequeath the kingdom at his own death. So, after 
taking thought on the matter, the King caused a great palace to be built, 
and placed his son therein, and caused him to .be waited on there by 
a number of maidens, the most beautiful that could anywhere be found. 
And he ordered them to divert themselves with the prince, and to 
sing and dance before him, so as to draw his heart towards worldly enjoy- 
ments. But 't was all of no avail, and he only abode the firmer in his 
goodness, leading a most holy life, after their manner thereof. And 
I assure you he was so staid a youth that he had never gone out of 
the palace, and thus he had never seen a dead man, nor any one who was 
not hale and sound ; for the father never allowed any man that was aged 
or infirm to come into his presence. It came to pass however one 
day that the young gentleman took a ride, and by the roadside he beheld 
a dead man. The sight dismayed him greatly, as he never had seen such 
a sight before. Incontinently he demanded of those who were with him 
what thing that was? and then they told him it was a dead man. " How, 
then," quoth the king's son, "■ do all men die ? " " Yea, forsooth," said 
they. Whereupon the young gentleman said never a word, but rode on 
right pensively. And after he had ridden a good way he fell in with 



THE. S TOR Y OF B UDDIIA . 449 

a very aged man who could no longer walk, and had not a tooth in 
his head, having lost all because of his great age. And when the king's 
son beheld this old man he asked what that might mean, and wherefore 
the man could not walk ? Those who were with him replied that it was 
through old age the man could walk no longer, and had lost all his teeth. 
And so when the king's son had thus learned about the dead man 
and about the aged man, he turned back to his palace and said to himself 
that he would abide no longer in this evil world, but would go in search 
of Him Who dieth not, and Who had created him. 

So what did he one night but take his departure from the palace 
privily, and betake himself to certain lofty and pathless mountains. And 
there he did abide, leading a life of great hardship and sanctity, and 
keeping great abstinence, just as if he had been a Christian. Indeed, an 
he had but been so, he would have been a great saint of Our Lord Jesus 
Christ, so good and pure was the life he led. And when he died 
they found his body and brought it to his father. And when the father 
saw dead before him that son whom he loved better than himself, he was 
near going distraught with sorrow. And he caused an image in the 
similitude of his son to be wrought in gold and precious stones, and 
caused all his people to adore it. And they all declared him to be a god ; 
and so they still say. 

They tell moreover that he hath died fourscore and four times. The 
first time he died as a man, and came to life again as an ox ; and then he 
died as an ox and came to life again as a horse, and so on until he 
had died fourscore and four times ; and every time he became some kind 
of animal. But when he died the eighty-fourth time they say he became 
a god. And they do hold him for the greatest of all their gods. And 
they tell that the aforesaid image of him was the first idol that the 
Idolaters ever had ; and from that have originated all the other idols. 
And this befel in the Island of Seilan in India. 

The Idolaters come thither on pilgrimage from very long distances 
and with great devotion, just as Christians go to the shrine of Messer 
Saint James in Gallicia. And they maintain that the monument on the 
mountain is that of the king's son, according to the story I have been 
telling you ; and that the teeth, and the hair, and the dish that are there 



ADAM'S PEAK IN CEYLON. 451 

were those of the same king's son, whose name was Sagamoni Borcan, or 
Sagamoni the Saint. But the Saracens also come thither on pilgrimage 
in great numbers, and t/iejy say that it is the sepulchre of Adam our first 
father, and that the teeth, and the hair, and the dish were those of Adam. 

Whose they were in truth, God knoweth ; howbeit, according to the 
Holy Scripture of our Church, the sepulchre of Adam is not in that part 
of the world. 

Now it befel that the Great Kaan heard how on that mountain there 
was the sepulchre of our first father Adam, and that some of his hair and 
of his teeth, and the dish from which he used to eat, were still preserved 
there. So he thought he would get hold of them somehow or another, 
and despatched a great embassy for the purpose, in the year 1284. The 
ambassadors, with a great company, travelled on by sea and by land until 
they arrived at the island of Seilan, and presented themselves before the 
king. And they were so urgent with him that they succeeded in getting 
two of the grinder teeth, which were passing great and thick ; and they 
also got some of the hair, and the dish from which that personage used 
to eat, which is of a very beautiful green porphyry. And when the 
Great Kaan's ambassadors had attained the object for which they had 
come they were greatly rejoiced, and returned to their lord. And when 
they drew near to the great city of Cambaluc, where the Great Kaan was 
staying, they sent him word that they had brought back that for which 
he had sent them. On learning this the Great Kaan was passing glad, 
and ordered all the ecclesiastics and others to go forth to meet these 
reliques, which he was led to believe were those of Adam. 

And why should I make a long story of it ? In sooth, the whole popu- 
lation of Cambaluc went forth to meet those reliques, and the ecclesias- 
tics took them over and carried them to the Great Kaan, who received 
them with great joy and reverence. And they find it written in their 
Scriptures that the virtue of that dish is such that if food for one man be 
put therein it shall become enough for five men ; and the Great Kaan 
averred that he had proved the thing and found that it was really true. 

So now you have h^- d how the Great Kaan came by those reliquesi 
and a mighty great treasure it did cost him ! The reliques being, accord- 
ing to the Idolaters, those of that king's son. 



452 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO, 



"• Polo's account of Ceylon," said Fred, " is correct in nearly 
all its details. Rice grows there abundantly. Drink is made 
from the juice of the toddy-palm, sapan-wood is in the forests, 
and the island has long been famous for its product of precious 
stones. Rubies, sapphires, amethysts, carbuncles, and cat's-eyes 
are found there, and in some of the rivers garnets take the place 
of the ordinary sands of a flowing stream. Probably the great 
ruby he describes had only a mythical existence, but the story 
has been current through many ages, and he is not to be censured 
for repeating it. He is right in describing the people as lacking 
the military spirit ; they are not good soldiers, and the armies of 
Ceylon under the native kings were conquered by one tenth their 
number of foreigners. 

'' The mountain he describes is Adam's Peak ; it is steep and 
high as he represents, but it is not the highest mountain on the 
_,_-^— . — -— - island. The chains are still 

there, and so is the temple 
on the summit ; also the 
footprint, which seems to be 
a natural indentation in the 
rock about five feet long and 
fashioned to represent a hu- 
man foot. The pilgrimages 
Adam's Peak, Ceylon. of three classes of religionists 

are made to the temple on Adam's Peak, — by Mohammedans 
and Malabar Christians in honor of Adam, and by Buddhists in 
reverence for the founder of their religion. The tradition is that 
Adam (or Buddha) made the footprint in the solid rock when 
he stepped from Ceylon to Burmah. He had previously come 
from India over the straits separating Ceylon from the main- 
land ; there is a series of islands and rocks across the straits, and 
it is here that he crossed by stepping from one to another. In 
proof of the correctness of the story this chain of islands and 
rocks bears the name of * Adam's Bridge.' 

"• The story of the early history of Buddha is very well told 




RELICS OF BUDDHA. 



453 



here ; if you wish to read further about it I refer you to Edwin 
Arnold's * Light of Asia.' Sagamoni Borcan is Sakya-Muni, or 
Gautama-Buddha ; Burkhan means ' divinity,' and is used by 
the Mongols as the synonym of Buddha. The scene of the story 
should be located in India rather than in Ceylon, as it is not at 
all clear that Sakya-Muni was ever in that island. According to 
the most careful students of the religion it began in the north of 
India during the sixth century before our era, or about 2,400 
years ago. Its founder may have travelled to Ceylon, but there 
is no record that he did so. 

"■ At Kandy, the capital of Ceylon, there is a temple in which 
a tooth of Buddha is kept as a sacred 
relic. The shrine containing it is 
only opened on rare occasions, and 
at such times the people come from 
far and near to see it. No one is per- 
mitted to touch it, but for some years 
after the capture of Kandy by the 
British the tooth was in their posses- 
sion and was carefully examined. It 
proved to be nothing but a piece of 
ivory about two inches long, which 
had become yellow with age and pos- 
sibly from lying so long on the golden 
lotos flower that supports it. For- 
merly they kept another relic of 
Buddha in Ceylon which passed 
through many countries ; and it was the alms-bowl of Bud- 
dha, and possessed wonderful properties. A poor man could 
fill it with a few flowers, but a rich man could not do so with ten 
thousand bushels of rice ! An army could drink from it without 
reducing the quantity of liquid it contained ! It is doubtless this 
alms-bowl that is mentioned by Polo, and it would be interesting 
to know what became of it after its departure from Cambaluc. 

" There is another tooth of Buddha at Foochow, which is 




Teeth of Buddha. I at Kandy, 2 at 
Foochow. 



454 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



preserved in one of the temples there. It is about six inches 
long and shaped on the top like a tooth, but the other end con- 
veys very little idea of the roots of a molar or any other dental 
formation. 

*' Much more could be said on the subject of Buddhistic 
relics," said Fred, *' but our time is exhausted, and I will pause. 
On our next evening you will hear something about India." 

In compliance with Fred's suggestion the session came to an 
end, and in a little while the members of the Society were on 
their homeward way. 




Stone Lanterns near a Buddhist Temple. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

The Pearl Fisheries of Ceylon — The Province of Maabar — Southern India — Saint Thomas — 
Manners and Customs in India — Diamond Mines of Golconda — The Koh-i-Noo7'. 

The interest in the travels of Marco Polo continued as great 
as ever if we are to judge by the attendance on the next evening. 
There was not a vacant seat in Dr. Allen's library when Frank 
rose to read the description of India which had been promised as 
part of the entertainment. The young man announced that he 
was about to describe the pearl fishery of Ceylon, of which 
most of them had doubtless heard. '' It is carried on to-day," 
said he, ** in almost precisely the same way as in Polo's time. 
The Bettelar of our traveller, where the fishers have their head- 
quarters, is probably Patlam, on the coast of Ceylon. The 
shark-charmers are still employed there, and they belong to one 
family which is supposed to possess the monopoly of the spell. 
The principal charmer is paid by government, and receives in 
addition ten oysters daily from each boat during the fishery." 

CONCERNING THE GREAT PROVINCE OF MAABAR, WHICH IS CALLED 
INDIA THE GREATER, AND IS ON THE MAINLAND. 

When you leave the the Island of Seilan and sail westward about 60 
miles, you come to the great province of Maabar which is styled India 
THE Greater ; it is the best of all the Indies and is on the mainland. 

In this province there are five kings, who are own brothers. I will 
tell you about each in turn. The Province is the finest and noblest in 
the world. 

At this end of the Province reigns one of those five Royal Brothers, 
who is a crowned King, and his name is SONDER Bandi Davar. In this 
kingdom they find very fine and great pearls ; and I will tell you how 
they are got. 

455 



456 



THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 



The sea here forms a gulf between the Island of Seilan and the main- 
land. And all round this gulf the water has a depth of no more than lo 
or 12 fathoms, and in some places no more than two fathoms. The pearl- 
fishers take their vessels, great and small, and proceed into this gulf, where 
they stop from the beginning of April till the middle of May. They 
go first to a place called Bettelar, and then go 60 miles into the gulf. 
Here they cast anchor and shift from their large vessels into small boats. 
The merchants divide into various companies, and each of these must 

engage a number of men on 
wages, hiring them for April and 
half of May. Of all the produce 
they have first to pay the King, 
as his royalty, the tenth part. 
And they must also pay those 
men who charm the great fishes, 
to prevent them from injuring 
the divers whilst engaged in 
seeking pearls under water, one 
twentieth part of all that they 
take. These fish-charmers are 
termed A br ataman ; and their 
charm holds good for that day 
only, for at night they dissolve 
the charm so that the fishes can 
work mischief at their will. 
These Abraiaman know also 
how to charm beasts and birds 
and every living thing. When 
the men have got into the small 
boats they jump into the water and dive to the bottom, which may be at 
a depth of from 4 to 12 fathoms, and there they remain as long as they 
are able. And there they find the shells that contain the pearls, and 
these they put into a net bag tied round the waist, and mount up to the 
surface with them, and then dive anew. When they can't hold their 
breath any longer they come up again, and after a little down they go 




h \ 

Native of Southern India. 



A PEOPLE WITHOUT TAILORS, 



457 




once more, and so they go on all day. These shells are in fashion like 
oysters or sea-hoods. And in these shells are found pearls, great and 
small, of every kind, sticking in _^ 
the flesh of the shell-fish. 

In this manner pearls are fished 
in great quantities, for thence in 
fact come the pearls which are 
spread all over the world. And 
the King of that State hath a very 
great receipt and treasure from his 
dues upon those pearls. 

As soon as the middle of May is past, no 
more of those pearl-shells are found there. It 
is true, however, that a long way from that 
spot, some 300 miles distant, they are also 
found ; but that is in September and the first 
half of October. 

CONTINUES TO SPEAK OF THE PROVINCE OF 
MAABAR. 

In all this Province of Maabar there is never 
a Tailor to cut a coat or stitch it, seeing that 
everybody goes naked ! For decency only do 
they wear a scrap of cloth ; and so 't is with 
men and women, with rich and poor, aye, and 
with the King himself, except what I am going 
to mention. 

It is a fact that the King goes 
as bare as the rest, only round his 
loins he has a piece of fine cloth, 
and round his neck he has a neck- 
lace entirely of precious stones, — 
rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and the The Areca Palm, 

like, insomuch that this collar is of great value. He wears also hanging in 
front of his chest from the neck downwards a fine silk thread strung with 104 




458 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

large pearls and rubies of great price. The reason why he wears this cord 
with the 104 great pearls and rubies is (according to what they tell), that 
every day, morning and evening, he has to say 104 prayers to his idols. Such 
is their religion and their custom. And thus did all the Kings his ances- 
tors before him, and they bequeathed the string of pearls to him that he 
should do the like. The prayer that they say daily consists of these 
words : Pacaiita ! Pacauta ! Pacauta ! And this they repeat 104 times. 

The King aforesaid also wears on his arms three golden bracelets 
thickly set with pearls of great value, and anklets also of like kind he 
wears on his legs, and rings on his toes likewise. So let me tell you what 
this King wears, between gold and gems and pearls, is worth more than 
a city's ransom. And 't is no wonder ; for he hath great store of such 
gear ; and besides they are found in his kingdom. Moreover, nobody is 
permitted to take out of the kingdom a pearl weighing more than half a 
saggio, unless he manages to do it secretly. This order has been given 
because the King desires to reserve all such to himself ; and so in fact 
the quantity he has is something almost incredible. Moreover, several 
times every year he sends his proclamation through the realm that if any 
one who possesses a pearl or stone of great value will bring it to him, he 
will pay for it twice as much as it cost. Everybody is glad to do this, and 
thus the King gets all into his own hands, giving every man his price. 

Furthermore, this King hath some five hundred wives, for whenever 
he hears of a beautiful damsel he takes her to wife. The King hath 
many children. 

And there are about the King a number of Barons in attendance upon 
him. These ride with him, and keep always near him, and have great 
authority in the kingdom ; they are called the King's Trusty Lieges. 
And you must know that when the King dies, and they put him on the 
fire to burn him, these Lieges cast themselves into the fire round about 
his body, and suffer themselves to be burnt along with him. For they 
say they have been his comrades in this world, and that they ought also 
to keep him company in the other world. 

When the King dies none of his children dares to touch his treasure. 
For they say : '^ As our father did gather together all this treasure, so we 
ought to accumulate as much in our turn." And in this way it comes to 



46o THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

pass that there is an immensity of treasure accumulated in this king- 
dom. 

Here are no horses bred ; and thus a great part of the wealth of the 
country is wasted in purchasing horses ; I will tell you how. The 
merchants of KiS and HoRMES, DOFAR and SOER and Aden collect 
great numbers of destriers and other horses, and these they bring to the 
territories of this King and of his four brothers, who are kings likewise as 
I told you. For a horse will fetch among them 500 saggi of gold, worth 
more than 100 marks of silver, and vast numbers are sold there every 
year, Indeed this King Avants to buy more than 2000 horses every year, 
and so do his four brothers who are kings likewise. The reason why they 
want so many horses every year is that by the end of the year there shall 
not be one hundred of them remaining, for they all die off. And this 
arises from mismanagement, for those people do not know in the least 
how to treat a horse ; and besides they have no farriers. The horse- 
merchants not only never bring any farriers with them, but also prevent 
any farrier from going thither, lest they should in any degree baulk the 
sale of horses, which brings them in every year such vast gains. They 
bring these horses by sea aboard ship. 

They have in this country the custom which I am going to relate. 
When a man is doomed to die for any crime, he may declare that he will 
put himself to death in honor of such or such an idol ; and the govern- 
ment then grants him permission to do so. His kinsfolk and friends then 
set him up on a cart, and provide him with twelve knives, and proceed to 
conduct him all about the city, proclaiming aloud : " This valiant man 
is going to slay himself for the love of (such an idol)." And when they 
be come to the place of execution he takes a knife and sticks it through 
his arm, and cries: " I slay myself for the love of (such a god)! " Then 
he takes another knife and sticks it through his other arm, and takes a 
third knife and runs it into his breast, and so on until he kills himself 
outright. And when he is dead his kinsfolk take the body and burn it 
with a joyful celebration. Many of the Avomen also, when their husbands 
die and are placed on the pile to be burnt, do burn themselves along with 
the bodies. And such Avomen as do this have great praise from all. 

The people are Idolaters, and many of them worship the ox, because 



462 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

(say they) it is a creature of such excellence. They would not eat beef 
for any thing in the world, nor would they on any account kill an ox. 
But there is another class of people who are called Govy, and these are 
very glad to eat beef, though they dare not kill the animal. Howbeit if 
an ox dies, naturally or otherwise, then they eat him. 

And let me tell you, the people of this country all of them, great and 
small. King and Barons included, do sit upon the ground only, and the 
reason they give is that this is the most honorable way to sit, because we 
all spring from the Earth and to the Earth we must return ; so no one 
can pay the Earth too much honor, and no one ought to despise it. 

And about that race of Govis, I should tell you that nothing on earth 
would induce them to enter the place where Messer St. Thomas is — I 
mean where his body lies, which is in a certain city of the province of 
Maabar. Indeed, were even 20 or 30 men to lay hold of one of these 
Govis and to try to hold him in the place where the Body of the Blessed 
Apostle lies buried, they could not do it ! Such is the influence of the 
Saint ; for it was by people of this generation that he was slain, as you 
shall presently hear. 

No wheat grows in this province, but rice only. 

The people of the country go to battle all naked, with only a lance 
and a shield ; and they are most wretched soldiers. They will kill neither 
beast nor bird, nor any thing that hath life ; and for such animal food as 
they eat, they make the Saracens, or others who are not of their own 
religion, play the butcher. 

It is their practice that every one, male and female, do wash the whole 
body twice every day ; and those who do not wash are looked on much 
as we look on the Patarins. You must know also that in eating they use 
the right hand only, and would on no account touch their food with the 
left hand. So also they drink only from drinking vessels, and every man 
hath his own ; nor will any one drink from another's vessel. And when 
they drink they do not put the vessel to the lips, but hold it aloft and 
let the drink spout into the mouth. No one would on any account touch 
the vessel with his mouth, nor give a stranger a drink with it. But if the 
stranger have no vessel of his own they will pour the drink into his hands 
and he may thus drink from his hands as from a cup. 



SUMMARY PROCESS FOR COLLECTING DEBTS. 463 

They are very strict in executing justice upon criminals, and as strict 
in abstaining from wine. Indeed, they have made a rule that wine- 
drinkers and seafaring men are never to be accepted as sureties. For 
they say that to be a seafaring man is all the same as to be an utter des- 
perado, and that his testimony is good for nothing. 

They have the following rule about debts. If a debtor shall have 
been several times asked by his creditor for payment, and shall have put 
him off from day to day with promises, then if the creditor can once 
meet the debtor and succeed in drawing a circle round him, the latter 
must not pass out of this circle until he shall have satisfied the claim, or 
given security for its discharge. If he in any other case presume to pass 
the circle, he is punished with death as a transgressor against right and 
justice. And the said Messer Marco, when in this kingdom on his return 
home, did himself witness a case of this. It was the King, who owed a 
foreign merchant a certain sum of money, and though the claim had 
often been presented, he always put it off with promises. Now, one day 
when the King was riding through the city, the merchant found his 
opportunity, and drew a circle round both King and horse. The King, 
on seeing this, halted, and would ride no further ; nor did he stir from 
the spot until the merchant was satisfied. And when the bystanders saw 
this they marvelled greatly, saying that the King was a most just 
King indeed, having thus submitted to justice. 

The heat here is sometimes so great that 't is something wonderful. 
And rain falls only for three months in the year, viz., in June, July, and 
August. Indeed, but for the rain that falls in these three months, 
refreshing the earth and cooling the air, the drought would be so great 
that no one could exist. 

They have many experts in an art which they call Physiognomy, by 
which they discern a man's character and quahties at once. They also 
know the import of meeting with any particulular bird or beast ; for such 
omens are regarded by them more than by any people in the world. 
Thus if a man is going along the road and hears some one sneeze, if he 
deems it a good token for himself he goes on, but if otherwise he stops 
a bit, or peradventure turns back altogether from his journey. 

As soon as a child is born, they write down his nativity, that is to say 



464 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

the day and hour, the month, and the moon's age. This custom they 
observe because every single thing they do is done with reference to 
astrology, and by advice of diviners skilled in Sorcery and Magic and 
Geomancy, and such like diabolical arts ; and some of them are also 
acquainted with Astrology. 

All parents who have male children, as soon as these have attained 
the age of 13, dismiss them from their home, and do not allow them 
further maintenance in the family. For they say that the boys are then 
of an age to get their living by trade ; so off they pack them with some 
twenty or four-and-twenty groats, or at least with money equivalent to 
that. And these urchins are running about all day from pillar to post, 
buying and selling. At the time of the pearl-fishery they run to the 
beach and purchase, from the fishers or others, five or six pearls, accord- 
ing to their ability, and take these to the merchants, who are keeping 
indoors for fear of the sun, and say to them : " These cost me such a 
price; now give me what profit you please on them." So the merchant 
gives something over the cost price for their profit. They do in the 
same way with many other articles, so that they become trained to be 
very dexterous and keen traders. And every day they take their food to 
their mothers to be cooked and served, but do not eat a scrap at the 
expense of their fathers. 

In this kingdom and all over India the birds and beasts are entirely 
different from ours, all but one bird which is exactly like ours, and that 
is the Quail. But every thing else is totally different. For example they 
have bats, — I mean those birds that fly by night and have no feathers of 
any kind ; well their birds of this kind are as big as a goshawk ! Their 
goshawks again are as black as crows, a good deal bigger than ours, and 
very swift and sure. 

Another strange thing is that they feed their horses with boiled rice 
and boiled meat, and various other kinds of cooked food. That is the 
reason why all the horses die off. 

They have certain abbeys in which are gods and goddesses to whom 
many young girls are consecrated ; their fathers and mothers presenting 
them to that idol for which they entertain the greatest devotion. And 
when the monks of a convent desire to make a feast to their god, they 



DANCING BEFORE THE IDOLS, 



465 



send for all those consecrated damsels and make them sing and dance 
before the idol with great festivity. They also bring meats to feed their 
idol withal ; that is to say, the damsels prepare dishes of meat and other 
good things and put the food before the idol, and leave it there a good 
while, and then the damsels all go to their dancing and singing and fes- 
tivity for about as long as a great Baron might require to eat his dinner. 
By that time they say the spirit of the idols has consumed the substance 
of the food, so they remove the viands 
to be eaten by themselves with great 
jollity. This is performed by these ^ 
damsels several times every year until 
they are married. 

The reason assigned for sum- 
moning the damsels to these 
feasts is, as the monks say, that 
the god is vexed and angry with 
the goddess, and will hold 
no communication with her; 
and they say that if peace 
be not established between 
them things will go from i^ 
bad to worse, and they never 
will bestow their grace and 
benediction. So they make 
those girls come in the way 
described, to dance and sing -: 
before the god and the 
goddess, in order that they 
may be reconciled to each other. 

The men of this country have their beds made of verj^ light canework, 
so arranged that, when they have got in and are going to sleep, they are 
drawn up by cords nearly to the ceiling and fixed there for the night. 
This is done to get out of the way of tarantulas which give terrible bites, 
as well as of fleas and such vermin, and at the same time to get as much 
air as possible in the great heat which prevails in that region. Not that 




Gigantic Fern. 



466 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



everybody does this, but only the nobles and great folks, for the others 
sleep on the streets. 

DISCOURSING OF THE PLACE WHERE LIETH THE BODY OF ST. THOMAS 
THE APOSTLE ; AND OF THE MIRACLES THEREOF. 

The body of Messer St. Thomas the Apostle lies in this province of 
Maabar at a certain little town having no great population ; 't is a place 




Head of a Dancing Girl. 

where few traders go, because there is very little merchandize to be got 
there, and it is a place not very accessible. Both Christians and Saracens, 
however, greatly frequent it in pilgrimage. For the Saracens also do 
hold the Saint in great reverence, and say that he was one of their own 
Saracens and a great prophet, giving him the title of Avarian, which is as 



BURIAL PLACE OF A SAINT. 



467 



much as to say " Holy Man." The Christians who go thither in pilgrim- 
age take of the earth from the place where the Saint was killed, and give 
a portion thereof to any one who is sick of a quartan or a tertian fever; 
and by the power of God and of St. Thomas the sick man is incontinently 
cured. The earth, I should tell you, is red. A very fine miracle oc- 
curred there in the year 1288, as I will now relate. 

A certain Baron of that country, having great store of a certain kind 
of corn that is called rice, had filled up with it all the houses that belonged 



/ V 




Lycosa Tarantula. 

to the church, and stood round about it. The Christian people in charge 
of the church were much distressed by his having thus stuffed their 
houses with his rice ; the pilgrims too had nowhere to lay their heads ; 
and they often begged the pagan Baron to remove his grain, but he 
would do nothing of the kind. So one night the Saint himself appeared 
with a fork in his hand, which he set at the Baron's throat, saying : " If 
thou void not my houses, that my pilgrims may have room, thou shalt 
die an evil death," and therewithal the Saint pressed him so hard with 



468 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



the fork that he thought himself a dead man. And when morning came 
he caused all the houses to be voided of his rice, and told everybody 
what had befallen him at the Saint's hands. So the Christians were 
greatly rejoiced at this grand miracle, and rendered thanks to God and to 
the blessed St. Thomas. Other great miracles do often come to pass 
there, such as the healing of those who are sick or deformed, or the like, 
especially such as be Christians. 




Pagoda at Tanjore. 

The Christians who have charge of the church have a great number of 
the Indian Nut-trees, whereby they get their living ; and they pay to one 
of those brother Kings six groats for each tree every year. 

Now, I will tell you the manner in which the Christian brethren who 
keep the church relate the story .of the Saint's death. 

They tell that the Saint was in the wood outside his hermitage saying 
his prayers; and round about him were many peacocks, for these are 



SACRED CHARACTER OF THE OX. 469 

more plentiful in that country than anywhere else. And one of the 
idolaters of that country being of the lineage of those called Govi that I 
told you of, having gone with his bow and arrows to shoot peafowl, not 
seeing the Saint, let fly an arrow at one of the peacocks ; and this arrow 
struck the holy man in the right side, insomuch that he died of the wound, 
sweetly addressing himself to his Creator. Before he came to that place 
where he thus died he had been in Nubia, where he converted much 
people to the faith of Jesus Christ. 

The children that are born here are black enough, but the blacker 
they be the more they are thought of ; wherefore from the day of their 
birth their parents do rub them every week with oil of sesame, so that 
they become as black as devils. Moreover, they make their gods black and 
their devils white, and the images of their saints they do paint black all 
over. 

They have such faith in the ox, and hold it for a thing so holy, that 
when they go to the wars they take of the hair of the wild-ox, whereof I 
have elsewhere spoken, and wear it tied to the necks of their horses ; or, 
if serving on foot, they hang this hair to their shields, or attach it to their 
own hair. And so this hair bears a high price, since without it nobody 
goes to the wars in any good heart. For they believe that any one who 
has it shall come scatheless out of battle. 

''The portion of India washed by the Arabian Sea," said 
Fred, '' is called the Malabar coast, and that which touches on 
the Bay of Bengal is called the Coromandel coast. In the 
thirteenth and fourteenth centuries the Coromandel or eastern 
coast was known as Maabar, the name which Polo gives it ; the 
word in Arabic signifies a Passage or Ferry, and may have 
referred to the gulf which separates Ceylon from the mainland, 
together with the part of India that bordered it. The western 
coast was then as now called Malabar ; Cape Comorin, the 
southern extremity of India, w^as the point where Malabar 
terminated and Maabar began. 

'' Marco was a little out of the way," continued Fred, ''in the 
time of the year assigned to the pearl fishery. It takes place in 



470 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



March and April, in the period between the cessation of the 
northeast, and the beginning of the southwest, monsoon. The 
fishing is carried on in water varying from three to ten fathoms 
in depth, and never more than in thirteen fathoms. Accidents 
from sharks are of rare occurrence, but the divers always carry 
knives for defending themselves from the attacks of these un- 
pleasant visitors. 

"• The people of the country he is describing wear very little 
clothing, and consequently tailors are not in great demand. The 
description of the necklace worn by the king is not exaggerated, 
as we read in history that a string of pearls 
worth a hundred thousand pounds, or half a 
million dollars, was taken from the neck of a 
Hindoo king at the time of his capture by a 
Mohammedan invader in the eleventh century. 
Down to the present time there the princes of 
India retain their fondness for pearls, diamonds, 
and other jewels ; an immense quantity of these 
things was obtained by the British troops at 
the sacking of Delhi, Lucknow, and other cities 
during the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, and a vast 
amount still remains in India. 

"• The custom of widows throwing them- 
selves on the funeral piles of their husbands 
and being burned to death prevailed down 
present century, and its suppression is due to 
British Government in India. The Govern- 



I 




Ruined Pagoda at 
Negapatam. 



to within the 
the efforts of the 
ment makes no interference with the religious customs of the 
people except when they are coupled with cruelty ; the suttee^ or 
widow-burning, was considered a proper subject for consideration, 
and they have enforced their regulations with severity. It is a 
capital crime for any person to be present at such a performance, 
even as a quiet spectator, and it was only by treating the priests 
and all concerned with the extreme penalties of the law that the 
authorities were able to put a stop to the horrible practice. 



NOVEL WAY OF COLLECTING DEBTS. 



471 



** The ox is still worshipped as a sacred animal, but this does 
not save him from being compelled to work under the yoke as in 
other countries. In some of the cities, however, the brute can 
do pretty much as he pleases, and he makes a great deal of 
trouble for the merchants in grain and vegetables. At Benares 
you will find the streets full of sacred bulls that wander at their 
will and help themselves to whatever they wish to eat. They 
carefully avoid the part of the city occupied by the English, as 
some of their number that ventured too near the English butcher 
shops have mysteriously disappeared. The animals were fat and 
sleek, and it is supposed they may have been converted into beef, 
but of course the __ --^.^.w^ -^ 

English deny that 
anything of the kind 
ever happened. 

'' The custom of 
collecting debts by 
the creditor drawing 
a circle around the 
debtor was undoubt- 
edly in vogue in for- 
mer times, but is 
rarely heard of at 
present. It has been 
brought from India to Europe and America, and is practised occa- 
sionally by school-boys, and also by sailors on steamships crossing 
the Atlantic Ocean. Many a traveller who ventured out to the bows 
of a transatlantic steamer has found a circle drawn around him 
with a piece of chalk in the hands of a sailor, who only released 
him from the imaginary prison on payment of a shilling." 

At the laugh which followed this statement Fred paused a 
moment. The delay gave one of the audience an opportunity 
to ask if it was really true that the natives of India fed their 
horses with meat. 

** It is not entirely true," replied Fred, **but the statement is 




The Little Mount of St. Thomas. 



472 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



by no means without a good basis. In some parts of India 
horses are fed with peas and rice cooked in oil and sugar ; in 
others they receive boiled butter along with their other food, and 
in the Deccan the head of a sheep is occasionally given to a 
horse to strengthen him ! In the stables of Akbar the Great, 
the daily allowance of a horse in winter was two pounds of 
flour, one and a half pounds of sugar, and half a pound of 
ghee or melted butter. 

'' On this subject Colonel Yule tells a good anecdote. At a 
dinner-table in England one day when Sir John Malcolm was 
present, one of his brother officers told the story of the sheep's 
head forming part of a horse's food. The audience was scepti- 
cal ; the officer appealed to Sir John 
to confirm the statement, but the lat- 
ter shook his head. After the dinner 
was over the story-teller remonstrated, 
but Sir John replied : ' My dear fellow, 
they took you for a Munchausen, and 
they would merely have taken me for 
another.' 

** The little town where the body 
of St. Thomas was buried was Maila- 
pur, near the present city of Madras. 
There are two hills there which are called respectively the Great 
Mount and the Little Mount of St. Thomas. There is a fine road 
from the city to these hills, and it forms a favorite drive for the 
English residents of Madras. 

'' I will now," continued Fred, '' make way*for Frank again, 
who will tell you about another part of India and have something 
to say of the diamond mines." Frank immediately rose and 
read : — 

CO^XERNING THE KINGDOM OF MUTFILI. 

When you leave Maabar and go about i,ooo miles in a northerly 
direction you come to the kingdom of MUTFILI. This was formerly 
under the rule of a King, and since his death, some forty years past, it 




St. Thomas Localiiies at Madras. 



DIAMOND MINES OF INDIA, 473 

has been under his Queen, a lady of much discretion, who for the great 
love she bore him never would marry another husband. And I can 
assure you that during all that space of forty years she had administered 
her realm as well as ever her husband did, or better ; and as she was a 
lover of justice, of equity, and of peace, she was more beloved by those 
of her kingdom than ever was Lady or Lord of theirs before. The 
people are Idolaters, and are tributary to nobody. They live on flesh, 
and rice, and milk. 

It is in this kingdom that diamonds are got ; and I will tell you how. 
There are certain lofty mountains in those parts ; and when the winter 
rains fall, which are very heavy, the waters come roaring down the 
mountains in great torrents. When the rains are over, and the waters 
from the mountains have ceased to flow, they search the beds of the 
torrents and find plenty of diamonds. In summer also there are plenty 
to be found in the mountains, but the heat of the sun is so great that it 
is scarcely possible to go thither, nor is there then a drop of water to be 
found. Moreover, in those mountains great serpents are rife to a 
marvellous degree, besides other vermin, and this owning to the great 
heat. The serpents are also the most venomous in existence, insomuch 
that any one going to that region runs fearful peril ; for many have been 
destroyed by these evil reptiles. 

Now among these mountains there are certain great and deep valleys, 
to the bottom of which there is no access. Wherefore the men who go 
in search of the diamonds take with them pieces of flesh, as lean as they 
can get, and these they cast into the bottom of a valley. Now there are 
numbers of white eagles that haunt those mountains and feed upon the 
serpents. When the eagles see the meat thrown down, they pounce upon 
it, and carry it up to some rocky hill-top where they begin to rend it. But 
there are men on the watch, and as soon as they see that the eagles have 
settled, they raise a loud shouting to drive them away. And when the 
eagles are thus frightened away the men recover the pieces of meat, and 
find them full of diamonds which have stuck to the meat down in the bot- 
tom. For the abundance of diamonds down there in the depths of the val- 
leys is astonishing, but nobody can get down ; and if one could, it would be 
only to be incontinently devoured by the serpents which are so rife there. 



474 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

There is also another way of getting the diamonds. The people go to 
the nests of those white eagles, of which there are many, and find plenty 
of diamonds which the birds have swallowed in devouring the meat that 
was cast into the valleys. And, when the eagles themselves are taken, 
diamonds are found in theif stomachs. 

So now I have told you three different ways in which these stones are 
found. No other country but this kingdom of Mutfili produces them, 
but there they are found both abundantly and of large size. Those that 
are brought to our part of the world are only the refuse, as it were, of the 
finer and larger stones. For the flower of the diamonds and other large 
gems, as well as the largest pearls, are all carried to the Great Kaan and 
other Kings and Princes of those regions ; in truth they possess all the 
great treasures of the world. 

In this kingdom also are made the best and most delicate buckrams, 
and those of highest prices, in sooth they look like tissue of spider's web ! 
There is no King nor Queen in the world but might be glad to wear 
them. The people have also the largest sheep in the world, and great 
abundance of all the necessaries of life. 

'' Mutfili," said Fred, '' is doubtless Motupalle, about two 
hundred miles north of Madras ; it is on the sea-coast, and is still 
a small tov^n, as in Polo's day. The last prince of that region 
before Polo's visit to India had died without leaving a son to 
succeed him ; his widow managed the government until the son 
of her daughter was old enough to ascend the throne, a period 
which is variously given by the historians, though by none less 
than twenty-eight years. 

" To those of you who have read the ' Arabian Nights,' " 
continued Fred, '' the manner of taking diamonds from the 
Valley of Serpents is not new. It appears in the story of Sind- 
bad the Sailor, and the narrative is so like that of Polo, we must 
conclude that the two had a common origin. The authorship of 
the ' Arabian Nights' Entertainments ' is involved in mystery ; 
the stories are supposed to have been written in the eighth cen- 
tury, but some Oriental scholars think they belong to a much 




Court of a Diamond Merchant's House 



476 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO, 



more recent date. It is not likely that Polo ever heard of the 
' Arabian Nights/ and the probabilities are that the story of the 
diamonds originated in India in the region of the very mines he 
describes. There are other fables of the same sort, but none of 
them resemble Polo so closely as the wonderful adventure of 
Sindbad. 

'' Marco is quite right in saying that the best of the stones 
were kept in India, while Europe received only the refuse. It is 
only in modern times that the finest stones of Golconda and 
other mines have been brought to Europe, and the most of these 

have been the plunder 
of warfare rather than 
the purchases of peace- 
ful merchants. 

'' One of the most 
famous diamonds in 
the world, the Koh-i- 
Noor, or * Mountain of 
Light,' came from the 
Golconda mines in the 
kingdom which Polo 
is describing. Its pos- 
sessors were for cen- 
turies the rulers of 
Hindostan, and the 
Koh-i-Noor descended from father to son. Through a long line of 
these kings it went at length to the ruler of Afghanistan, and from 
him was transferred to Runjeet Singh, the ruler of the Punjaub in 
Northern India. In 1849 ^^e Punjaub was conquered by the 
English, and the Koh-i-Noor was sent as a present to Queen Vic- 
toria, who has retained it ever since." 

One of the youths in the audience asked if the mines of Gol- 
conda were as celebrated as ever for their diamonds, and if large 
amounts of the precious stones were obtained there. 

'' I have spoken of the mines of Golconda," replied Fred, 




Travellins: Coach of Southern India. 



DIAMOND MINES OF SOUTH AFRICA. 477 

*' but my language was not strictly correct, though I have fol- 
lowed the custom of centuries. The diamonds were only cut 
and polished at Golconda ; the mines are not in the neighbor- 
hood of the city, but are scattered through Southern India in a 
good many localities. They formerly gave a large revenue to 
the kings that controlled them, but their product is greatly 
diminished, and comparatively few of the diamonds of India 
come into the market. The mines of Brazil and South Africa 
now give the principal supply, and so great is the amount ob- 
tained from Brazil, that it was thought at one time the diamond 
business would be ruined. South Africa has produced a great 
quantity, but all the diamonds found there have a yellowish 
tint, which greatly reduces their value. Stones from India are 
known as ' old mine ' diamonds, to distinguish them from the 
modern discoveries. 

'' But it is getting late," said Fred, as he paused at the end of 
his dissertation on diamonds, " and the moon is low. It is time 
for us to go home, and I 'm sure our president is ready to enter- 
tain a motion for adjournment." 

And so the meeting came to an end. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

Caste in India — The Brahmans — Effect of Railway Travel on Caste Distinctions — Cities and 
Provinces in Polo's day — Lar, Eli, and Malabar — East Indian Pirates — Guzerat and its 
Cities — Ambergris : Its Character and Origin. * 

" I am about to read," said Frank at the opening of the 
next session of the Society, " Polo's account of the Brahmans. 
The word Abraiaman, which he uses, is probably an incorrect 
Arabic plural of Brahman, the name of the highest caste of 
the natives of India. Caste originally meant color, and the 
system of caste was established in order to uphold the political 
supremacy of the conquerors, who were of lighter complexion 
than the native inhabitants. Marriage with the dark races was 
forbidden, and to have the decree as binding as possible it was 
made a religious observance. The four great castes of India are 
the Brahmans, priestly order ; Kshatryas, warriors ; Vaishyas, 
traders, citizens, and agriculturists ; and Sudras, the menial classes. 
Marco is wrong when he describes the Brahmans as merchants ; 
they may occasionally occupy themselves with trade, but in most 
parts of India they would lose caste by doing so. The majority 
of Brahmans would consider themselves dishonored by trading or 
earning their living in any other respectable way, but they would 
have no scruple at begging." 

With this explanation Frank turned to the book and read as 
follows : 

CONCERNING THE PROVINCE OF LAR WHENCE THE BRAHMANS COME. 

Lar is a Province lying towards the west when you quit the place 
where the Body of St. Thomas lies; and all the Abraiainan in the world 
come from that province. 

You must know that these Abraiaman are the best merchants in the 

478 



BRAHMANS OF INDIA. 



479 



world, and the most truthful, for they would not tell a lie for any thing 
on earth. If a foreign merchant who does not know the ways of the 
country applies to them and entrusts his goods to them, they will take 
charge of these, and sell them in the most loyal manner, seeking zealously 
the profit of the foreigner and asking no commission except what he 
pleases to bestow. They eat no flesh, and drink no wine, and live a life 
of great purity ; nor would they on any account take what belongs to 
another; so their law commands. And they are all distinguished by 
wearing a thread of cotton over one shoulder and tied under the other 
arm, so that it crosses the breast and the back. 

They have a rich and powerful King who 
is eager to purchase precious stones and large 
pearls; and he sends these Abraiaman mer- 
chants into the kingdom of Maabar called SOLI, 
which is the best and noblest Province of India, 
and where the best pearls are found, to 
him as many of these as they 
can get, and he pays them 
double the cost price for all. 

So in this way he has avast 
treasure of such valuables. 

These Abraiaman are Idol- 
aters ; and they pay greater 
heed to signs and omens than 
any people that exists. I 

will mention as an example ^ Brahman Saying His Prayers. 

one of their customs. To every day of the week they assign an augury 
of this sort. Suppose that there is some purchase in hand, he who 
proposes to buy, when he gets up in the morning takes note of his own 
shadow in the sun, which he says ought to be on that day of such and 
such a length ; and if his shadow be of the proper length for the day he 
completes his purchase ; if not, he will on no account do so, but waits till 
his shadow corresponds with that prescribed. For there is a length 
established for the shadow for every individual day of the week ; and the 
merchant will complete no business unless he finds his shadow of the 




48o 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



length set down for that particular day. Also to each day in the week 
they assign one unlucky hour, which they term CJioiach. For example, 
on Monday the hour of Half-tierce, on Tuesday that of Tierce, on 
Wednesday Nones, and so on. 

Again, if one of them is in the house, and is meditating a purchase, 
should he see a tarantula (such as are very common in that country) on 

the wall, provided it advances 
from a quarter that he deems 
lucky, he will complete his 
purchase at once ; but if it 
comes from a quarter that he 
considers unlucky, he will 
not do so on any induce- 
ment. Moreover, if in going 
out he hears any one sneeze, 
if it seems to him a good 
omen he will go on, but if 
the reverse he will sit down 
on the spot where he is, as 
long as he thinks that he 
ought to tarry before going 
on again. Or, if in travelling 
along the road he sees a 
swallow fly by, should its di- 
rection be lucky he will pro- 
ceed, but if not he will turn 
back again ; in fact, they are 
worse (in these whims) than 
so many Patrians ! 

These Abraiaman are very 
long-lived, owing to their ex- 




Young Lady of Southern India. 



treme abstinence in eating. And they never allow themselves to be let 
blood in any part of the body. They have capital teeth, which is owing 
to a certain herb they chew, which greatly improves their appearance, and 
is also very good for the health. 



INDIAN FAKIRS. 



481 



There is another class of people called CJiugJii^ who are indeed properly 
Abraiaman, but they form a religious order devoted to the Idols. They 
are extremely long-lived, every man of them living to 150 or 200 years. 
They eat very little, but what they do eat is good ; rice and milk chiefly. 
And these people make use of a very strange beverage ; for they make a 
potion of sulphur and quicksilver mixt together, and this they drink twice 
every month. This, they say, 
gives them long life ; and it is 
a potion they are used to take 
from their childhood. 

There are certain members 
of this Order who lead the most 
ascetic life in the world, going 
quite naked ; and these worship 
the Ox. Most of them have a 
small ox of brass or pewter or 
gold, which they wear tied over 
the forehead. 

They eat not from bowls or 
trenchers, but put their victuals 
on leaves of the Apple of Para- 
dise and other big leaves ; these, 
however, they use dry, never 
green. For they say the green 
leaves have a soul in them, and 
so it would be a sin. And they 
would rather die than do what "^^^^ 
they deem their Law pronounces 
to be sin. If any one asks how 

it comes that they are not ashamed to go naked as they do, they say : 
" We go naked because naked we came into the world, and we desire to 
have nothing about us that is of this world." 

They would not kill an animal on any account, not even a fly, or a flea, 
or any thing in fact that has life ; for they say these all have souls, and 
it would be sin to do so. They eat no vegetable in a green state, only 




An Indian Fakir. 



482 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

such as are dry. And they sleep on the ground, without a scrap of 
clothing on them or under them, so that it is a marvel they don't all die, 
in place of living so long as I have told you. They fast every day in the 
year, and drink nought but water. And when a novice has to be received 
among them they keep him awhile in their convent, and make him follow 
their rule of life. 

They are such cruel and perfidious Idolaters that it is very devilry. 
They say that they burn the bodies of the dead, because if they were 
not burnt worms would be bred which would eat the body ; and when no 
more food remained for them these worms would die, and the soul 
belonging to that body would bear the sin and the punishment of their 
death. And that is why they burn their dead ! 

Now I have told you about a great part of the people of the great 
Province of Maabar and their customs ; but I have still other things to 
tell of this same province of Maabar, so I will speak of a city thereof 
which is called Cail. 

CONCERNING THE CITY OF CAIL. 

Cail is a great and noble city, and belongs to ASHAR, the eldest of 
the five brother Kings. It is at this city that all the ships touch that 
come from the west, as from Hormos and from Kis and from Aden, and 
all Arabia, laden with horses and with other things for sale. And this 
brings a great concourse of people from the country round about, and 
so there is great business done in this city of Cail. 

The King possesses vast treasures, and wears upon his person great 
store of rich jewels. He maintains great state, and administers his 
kingdom with great equity, and extends great favor to merchants and 
foreigners, so that they are very glad to visit his city. 

This King has some 300 wives ; for in those parts the man who has 
most wives is most thought of. 

As I told you before, there are in this great province of Maaber five 
crowned Kings, who are all own brothers born of one father and of one 
mother, and this king is one of them. Their mother is still living. And 
when they disagree and go forth to war against one another, their mother 
throws herself between them to prevent their fighting. In this way hath 



CHEWING THE BETEL LEAF. 



483 



she full many a time brought them to desist. But when she dies it will 
most assuredly happen that they will fall out and destroy one another. 

All the people of this city, as well as of the rest of India, have a 
custom of perpetually keeping in the mouth a certain leaf called Tembzcl, 
to gratify a certain habit and desire they have, continually chewing it and 
spitting out the saliva that it excites. The lords and gentlefolks and the 
King have these leaves prepared with camphor and other aromatic spices, 
and also mixt with quicklime. And this practice was said to be very 
good for the health. If any one desires to offer a gross insult to another, 
when he meets him he spits this leaf or its juice in his face. The other 
immediately runs be- 
fore the King, relates ' ^^^K^^-^ ... -^ 
the insult that has been 
offered him, and de- 
mands leave to fight 
the offender. The 
King supplies the 
arms, which are sword 
and target, and all the 
people flock to see, and 
there the two fight till 
one of them is killed. 
They must not use the 
point of the sword, for 

this the King forbids. Ancient Christian Church on the Malabar Coast. 




OF THE KINGDOM OF COILUM. 

When you quit the Maabar and go 500 miles towards the south-west 
you come to the kingdom of CoiLUM. The people are Idolaters, but there 
are also some Christians and some Jews. The natives have a language of 
their own, and a King of their own, and are tributary to no one. 

A great deal of brazil is got here which is called brazil Coilumin from 
the country which produces it ; 't is of very fine quality. Good ginger 
also grows here, and it is known by the same name of Coilumin after the 
country. Pepper too grows in great abundance throughout this country, 



484 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

and I will tell you how. The pepper-trees are not wild but cultivated, 
being regularly planted and watered ; and the pepper is gathered in the 
months of May, June, and July. They have also abundance of very fine 
indigo. This is made of a certain herb which is gathered, and, after the 
roots have been removed, is put into great vessels, upon which they pour 
water, and then leave it till the whole of the plant is decomposed. They 
then put this liquid in the sun, which is tremendously hot there, so that 
it boils and coagulates, and becomes such as we see it. They then divide 
it into pieces of four ounces each, and in that form it is exported to our 
parts. And I assure you that the heat of the sun is so great there that it 
is scarcely to be endured ; in fact if you put an ^^^ into one of the rivers it 
will be boiled, before you have had time to go any distance, by the mere 
heat of the sun. 

The merchants from Manzi and from Arabia and from the Levant 
come thither with their ships and their merchandize and make great 
profits both by what they import and by what they export. 

There are in this country many and divers beasts quite different from 
those of other parts of the world. Thus there are lions black all over, 
with no mixture of any other color ; and there are parrots of many sorts, 
for some are white as snow, with red beak and feet, and some are red, 
and some are blue, forming the most charming sight in the world ; there 
are green ones too. There are also some parrots of exceeding small size, 
beautiful creatures. They have also very beautiful peacocks, larger than 
ours and different ; and they have cocks and hens quite different from 
ours ; in short, every thing they have is different from ours, and finer and 
better. Neither is their fruit like ours, nor their beasts, nor their birds ; 
and this difference all comes of the excessive heat. 

Corn they have none but rice. So also their wine they make from 
palm-sugar ; capital drink it is, and very speedily it makes a man drunk. 
All other necessaries of man's life they have in great plenty and cheapness. 
They have very good astrologers and physicians. Man and woman, they 
are all black and go naked, all save a fine cloth worn about the middle. 
They marry their cousins german, and a man takes his brother's wife 
after the brother's death ; and all the people of India have this custom. 



THE SYSTEM OF CASTE. 



485 



OF THE COUNTRY CALLED COMARL 
COMARI is a country belonging to India, and there you can see some- 
thing of the North Star, which we had not been able to see from the 
Lesser Java thus far. In order to see it you must go some 30 miles out 
to sea, and then you see it about a cubit above the water. 

This is a very wild country, and there are beasts of all kinds there, 
especially monkeys of such 
peculiar fashion that you 
would take them for men ! 
There are also gatpauls in 
wonderful diversity, with 
bears, lions, and leopards 
in abundance. 

'' A great deal could 
be said on the subject 
of caste," remarked 
Fred, as he rose to 
speak, '' but our time 
will not permit an ex- 
tended lecture. Dr. 
Allen has promised to 
tell us something about 
it, and I gladly make 
way for him." 

''Frank has told 
you," said the doctor, 
*' about the origin of 
caste, which is supposed 
to date from about three 
thousand years ago. The four principal castes have now a great 
many sub-divisions, and in many parts of India all but the Brahman 
caste have altogether disappeared. Men of all castes have risen into 
prominence, and the sub-divisions in most instances take the form 
of guilds or trades-unions. The effect of this distinction is par- 




Voishya and Sudra. 



486 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



ticularly noticeable among the household and other servants of 
Europeans living in India. The man who sweeps your room 
will not bring you a glass of water, and the one who waits on 
you at table will not carry a letter to a neighbor's house, because 
that is the business of another caste. The groom who takes 
care of your horse would leave his situation rather than cut a 

little grass for the animal, 
since the grooms and grass- 
cutters form separate castes. 
A nurse-maid in charge of a 
child will not pick up her 
mistress' scissors when they 
have fallen on the floor ; if 
asked to do so she will go 
and tell the housekeeper, 
and the latter sends the par- 
ticular servant whose caste 
rules permit her to do what 
is wanted. I n former times, 
if a man of the lowest caste 
touched, however accident- 
ally, a man of a high caste, 
or even allowed his shadow 
to fall on him, the latter had 
the right to kill the offender 
on the spot. In some parts 
of India, to-day, a Brah- 
man will throw away his 
dinner and go hungry if the 
shadow of a sudra falls upon it while it is being cooked. All 
men of high caste who violate the rules of their order, even in 
the most trivial manner, are degraded, and can only be restored 
on payment of a heavy fine. For some offences there is no 
restoration, and the man is thereafter shunned by his relatives 
and former friends 




Younii Woman of Madras. 



HOW CASTES ARE BEING DESTROYED. 



487 



" Since the conquest of India by the English caste distinc- 
tions have been steadily breaking down, and especially since the 
introduction of railways. In the fourth-class carriages the 
natives are obliged to travel together, as the companies refuse to 
make any divisions on account of caste. It is impossible for 
them to avoid contact with each other, and the high-caste men 
soon learn that they suffer no injury by brushing against sudras 
and other low fellows. If they tried to exercise their old rights 




View of Cape Comorin, the Southerly Point of India. 

of killing the latter for the offence they would be tried and pun- 
ished for murder, and consequently they submit in patience. 
Englishmen living in India say the railways have done more 
toward the abolition of caste than all other influences together. 

''You may think," continued the doctor, ''that we have noth- 
ing of the kind in this country, but looking closely at our customs 
you will find that the distinction exists in various forms. When 
a servant in New York or Boston declines to do certain things 



488 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

because they are 'not his place,' he is making the same excuse 
that a servant in Calcutta does when he says his caste forbids. 
When a gentleman of society, or a lawyer, doctor, or other profes- 
sional man, refuses to associate with a tradesman or mechanic, he 
is echoing the belief of the Brahman in the rules and obligations 
of caste. Many other examples of caste distinctions in this 
country might be mentioned, but the ones I have given will be 
sufficient. In England and Europe they are far more numerous 
than here, and some Americans think we are adopting the 
customs of the Old World much too rapidly for our welfare." 

The doctor resumed his seat and Fred rose to continue his 
comments. 

'■'The position of Lar," said he, ''where Polo locates the 
country of the Brahmans, is not clearly identified. Neither is 
' the great and noble city of Cail,' though the latter is supposed 
to be a port in Tinnevelly, on the east coast of India. Coilum 
is the Quilon of to-day, and Comari is the country around Cape 
Comorin, the most southerly point of India. The Gatpaul oi 
Comari has puzzled the naturalists, but is generally supposed to 
be a species of ape found in that region. For the rest the 
description of the country is very good, and shows that Marco's 
information was well founded. Indigo is made to-day in very 
much the same way as he tells us, and the teembul or betel leaf is 
chewed as a narcotic or excitant very much as tobacco is used in 
America. It is highly nauseating to Europeans, but millions of 
Asiatics are addicted to its use. Lime is generally rolled into 
the leaf and sometimes camphor and musk, according to the taste 
of the individual or the custom of the country." 

Fred paused and Frank continued with the story as told by 
Polo. 

CONCERNING THE KINGDOM OF ELI. 
Eli is a kingdom towards the west, about 300 miles from Comari. 
The people are Idolaters and have a king, and are tributary to nobody ; 
and have a peculiar language. We will tell you particulars about their 
manners and their products, and you will better understand things now 
because we are drawing near to places that are not so outlandish. 



PIRATICAL CUSTOMS. 



489 



There is no proper harbor in the country, but there are many great 
rivers with good estuaries, wide and deep. Pepper and ginger grow there, 
and other spices in quantities. The King is rich in treasure, but not very 
strong in forces. The approach to his kingdom however is so strong by 
nature that no one can attack him, so he is afraid of nobody. 

If any ship enters their estuary and anchors there, having been bound 
for some other port, they seize her and plunder the cargo. For they say : 
''You were bound for somewhere else, and 't is God has sent you hither 
to us, so we have a right to all your goods." And they think it no sin to 
act thus. And this naughty custom prevails all over these provinces of 
India, to wit, that if a ship be driven by stress of weather into some other 
port than that to which _ 

it was bound, it is sure 
to be plundered. But 
if a ship come bound 
originally to the place 
they receive it with all 
honor and give it due 
protection. The ships 
of Manzi and other 
countries that come 
hither in summer lay 
in their cargoes in 6 
or 8 days and depart 
as fast as possible, because there is no harbor other than the river 
mouth, a mere roadstead and sandbanks, so that it is perilous to tarry 
there. The ships of Manzi indeed are not so much afraid of these road- 
steads as others are, because they have such huge wooden anchors which 
hold in all weather. 

There are many lions and other wild beasts here and plenty of game, 
both beast and bird. 

CONCERNING THE KINGDOM OF MELIBAR. 

Melibar is a great kingdom lying towards the west. The people are 
Idolaters ; they have a language of their own, and a king of their own, 
and pay tribute to nobody. 




Monte d'Ely, from the Sea. 



490 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

In this country you see more of the North Star, for it shows two 
cubits above the water. From this kingdom of Mehbar, and from 
another near it called GOZURAT, there go forth every year more than a 
hundred corsair vessels on cruize. These pirates take with them their 
wives and children, and stay out the whole summer. Their method is to 
join in fleets of 20 or 30 of these pirate vessels together, and then they 
form what they call a sea cordon, that is, they drop off till there is an 
interval of 5 or 6 miles between ship and ship, so that they cover some- 
thing like an hundred miles of sea, and no merchant ship can escape 
them. For when any one corsair sights a vessel a signal is made by fire 
or smoke, and then the whole of them make for this, and seize the 
merchants and plunder them. After they have plundered them they let 
them go, saying : " Go along with you and get more gain, and that 
mayhap will fall to us also ! " But now the merchants are aware of this, 
and go so well manned and armed, and with such great ships, that they 
don't fear the corsairs. Still mishaps do befall them at times. 

There is in this kingdom a great quantity of pepper, and ginger, and 
cinnamon, and turbit, and of nuts of India. They also manufacture very 
delicate and beautiful buckrams. The ships that come from the east 
bring copper in ballast. They also bring hither cloths of silk and gold, 
and sendels ; also gold and silver, cloves and spikenard, and other fine 
spices for which there is a demand here, and exchange them for the 
products of these countries. 

Ships come hither from many quarters, but especially from the great 
province of Manzi. Coarse spices are exported hence both to Manzi and 
to the west, and that which is carried by the merchants to Aden goes on 
to Alexandria, but the ships that go in the latter direction are not one to 
ten of those that go to the eastward ; a very notable fact that I have 
mentioned before. 

Now I have told you about Melibar ; we shall now proceed and tell 
you of Gozurat. In speaking of these kingdoms we note only the 
capitals ; there are great numbers of other cities and towns of which we 
shall say nothing, because it would make too long a story to speak 
of all. 



COTTON GROWING ON TREES. 



491 



CONCERNING THE KINGDOM OF GOZURAT. 



Gozurat is a great kingdom. The people are Idolaters and have a 
peculiar language, and a king of their own, and are tributary to no one. 
It lies towards the west, and the North Star is here still more conspicuous, 
showing itself at an altitude of about 6 cubits. 

In this province of Gozurat there grows much pepper, and ginger, and 
indigo. They have also a great deal of cotton. Their cotton-trees are of 
very great size, growing full six paces high, and attaining to an age of 20 
years. It is to be observed however that, when the trees are so old as 
that, the cotton is not good to spin, but only to quilt or stuff beds withal. 
Up to the age of 12 years indeed the trees .^ 

give good spinning cotton, but from that 
age to 20 years the produce is inferior. 

They dress in this country great num- 
bers of skins of various kinds, goat-skins, 
ox-skins, buffalo and wild ox-skins, as well 
as those of unicorns and other animals. 
In fact, so many are dressed every year as 
to load a number of ships for Arabia and 
other quarters. They also work here beau- 
tiful mats in red and blue leather, exquis- 
itely inlaid with figures of birds and beasts 
and skilfully embroidered with gold and 
silver wire. These are marvellously beau- 
tiful things ; they are used by the Saracens 
to sleep upon, and capital they are for that Archway in Guzerat. 

purpose. They also work cushions embroidered with gold, so fine that they 
are worth six marks of silver apiece, whilst some of those sleeping-mats are 
worth ten marks. 




CONCERNING THE KINGDOM OF TANA. 



Tana is a great kingdom lying towards the west, a kingdom great 
both in size and worth. The people are Idolaters, with a language of 
their own, and a king of their own, and tributary to nobody. No pepper 



492 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

grows there, nor other spices, but plenty of incense ; not the white kind, 
however, but brown. 

There is much traffic here, and many ships and merchants frequent 
the place ; for there is a great export of leather of various excellent kinds, 
and also of good buckram and cotton. The merchants in their ships also 
import various articles, such as gold, silver, copper, and other things in 
demand. 

With the King's connivance many corsairs launch from this port to 
plunder merchants. These corsairs have a covenant with the King that 
he shall get all the horses they capture, and all other plunder shall remain 
with them. The King does this because he has no horses of his own, 
whilst many are shipped from abroad towards India ; for no ship ever 

goes thither without horses in addi- 
tion to other cargo. The practice is 
naughty and unworthy of a king. 

CONCERNING THE KINGDOM OF 
CAMBAET. 

Cambaet is a great kingdom lying 
further west. The people are Idola- 
ters, and have a language of their 
own, and a king of their own, and are 

Indian Serpent-Charmers. tributary to nobody. 

The North Star is here still more 
clearly visible ; and henceforward the further you go west the higher you 
see it. 

There is a great deal of trade in this country. It produces indigo in 
great abundance ; and they also make much fine buckram. There is also 
a quantity of cotton which is exported hence to many quarters ; and 
there is a great trade in hides, which are very well dressed ; with many 
other kinds of merchandise too tedious to mention. Merchants come 
here with many ships and cargoes, but what they chiefly bring is gold, 
silver, copper, and tutia. 

There are no pirates from this country ; the inhabitants are good 
people, and live by their trade and manufactures. 




THE ORIGIN OF AMBERGRIS. 493 

CONCERNING THE KINGDOM OF SEMENAT. 

Semenat is a great kingdom towards the west. The people are 
Idolaters, and have a king and a language of their own, and pay tribute 
to nobody. They are not corsairs, but live by trade and industry as 
honest people ought. It is a place of very great trade. They are 
forsooth cruel Idolaters. 

CONCERNING THE KINGDOM OF KESMACORAN. 

Kesmacoran is a kingdom having a king of its own and a peculiar 
language. Some of the people are Idolaters, but the most part are 
Saracens. They live by merchandize and industry, for they are professed 
traders and carry on much traffic by sea and land in all directions. Their 
food is rice and corn, flesh and milk, of which they have great store. 
There is no more to be said about them. 

And you must know that this kingdom of Kesmacoran is the last in 
India as you go towards the west and northwest. You see, from Maabar 
on, this province is what is called the Greater India, and it is the best 
of all the Indies. I have now detailed to you all the kingdoms and 
provinces and chief cities of this India the Greater, that are upon the 
seaboard ; but of those that lie in the interior I have said nothing, 
because that would make too long a story. 

CONCERNING THE ISLAND OF SCOTRA. 

When you leave this kingdom of Kesmacoran and go about 1,000 miles 
towards the south, then you come to an Island called ScOTRA. The 
people are all baptized Christians ; and they have an Archbishop. They 
have a great deal of ambergris ; and plenty also of cotton stuffs and 
other merchandize ; especially great quantities of salt fish of a large and 
excellent kind. They also eat flesh and milk and rice, for that is their 
only kind of corn ; and they all go naked like the other Indians. 

The ambergris comes from the stomach of the whale, and as it is a 
great object of trade, the people contrive to take the whales with barbed 
iron darts, which, once they are fixed in the body, cannot come out again. 
A long cord is attached to this end, to that a small buoy which floats 
on the surface, so that when the whale dies they know where to find it. 



494 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



They then draw the body ashore and extract the ambergris from the 
stomach and the oil from the head. 

There is a great deal of trade there, for many ships come from all 
quarters with goods to sell to the natives. The merchants also purchase 
gold there, by which they make a great profit ; and all the vessels bound 
for Aden touch at this Island. 

Their Archbishop has nothing to do with the Pope of Rome, but is 
subject to the great Archbishop who lives at Baudas. He rules over the 




Religious Procession in India. 

Bishop of that Island, and over many other Bishops in those regions of 
the world, just as our Pope does in these. 

A multitude of corsairs frequent the Island ; they come there and en- 
camp and put up their plunder to sale ; and this they do to good profit, 
for the Christians of the Island purchase it, knowing well that it is Sara- 
cen or Pagan gear. 

In this Island there are the best enchanters in the world. It is true that 
their Archbishop forbids the practice to the best of his ability ; but 't is 



PRACTICES OF WRECKERS. 



495 






all to no purpose, for they insist that their forefathers followed it, and so 

must they also. I will give you a sample of their enchantments. Thus, 

if a ship be sailing past with a fair wind and a strong, they will raise a 

contrary wind and compel her to turn back. In fact they make the wind 

blow as they list, and produce great tempests and disasters ; and other such 

sorceries they perform, which it will be better to say nothing about in our 
Book. 

''There is no district or province of Ely," said Fred, rising 
when Frank paused, '' but the name is retained in Mount Dely, 
or Monte d' Ely, near Cananore on the west coast of the Madras 
Presidency of India. The peculiar practices of the inhabitants, 
in regarding ships that put into their ports from stress of weather 
as the gift of Providence and proper subjects of plunder, are not 
unknown in other parts of 
the world. People living 
on exposed parts of the 
coasts of England, 
France, and the United 
States, have been known 
to look upon wrecks as 
legitimate means of sub- 
sistence. It is currently 
reported that when busi- 
ness was dull in some of Bombay. 

these localities the inhabitants have assembled in their churches 
and prayed that a wreck would be given them. In the 
Feejee and other islands of the Pacific Ocean where cannibalism 
formerly prevailed, the crews of wrecked ships or boats were 
invariably killed and eaten ; they were regarded as food sent 
from Heaven, and the cannibals argued that it would be flying in 
the face of Providence to decline such precious gifts. 

'' By Melibar Marco evidently means Malabar, which is a 
name applied to part of the coast of India, as we have already 
seen. He makes a not unnatural mistake in calling it a province, 
and he gives us no boundaries so that we can identify the country 




496 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

with any accuracy. The inhabitants of the Malabar coast have 
been noted for their piracy from very ancient times down to the 
present century ; in Polo's day they carried on the business in 
the manner he describes, and even now an occasional piratical 
enterprise on their part is reported. 

" Gozurat is the modern Guzerat, which lies on the west coast 
of India between latitude 20° and 25° north, and longitude 69° to 74° 
east. It contains forty-two thousand square miles and has about six 
millions of inhabitants. Marco speaks as if it lay next to Mala- 
bar, when in fact it is considerably farther to the north and quite 
distinct from the former region. He also leads us to infer that 
it was distinct from Tana, Cambay, and Somnath ; all these 
places are included in Guzerat, which had its principal port at 
Cambay in Polo's time. The cotton-trees which he mentions are 
distinct from the well-known plant from which we take our fibre ; 
the latter being an annual bush, while the trees are perennial. 
The trees abound in parts of India, Java, and other warm 
countries, but their fibre is of little consequence, and they are 
cultivated more for ornament than use. Sometimes the cotton 
from these trees is used for the manufacture of turbans and other 
things to be worn by the Brahmans only, and in some parts of 
India the tree has a sacred character, and people of the lower 
castes are forbidden to make any use of its fibre, or to burn its 
fallen branches. 

'' Tana is the modern town of Thana, about twenty miles from 
Bombay and of little present consequence. Bombay was founded 
more than two hundred years after Polo's death, and speedily 
absorbed the commerce of all its neighbors. Cambaet is the 
modern Cambay on the gulf of the same name, and Semenat is 
now known as Somnath. It is the site of the celebrated temple 
which was plundered by Sultan Mahmoud of Ghuzni in Afghan- 
istan in A. D. 1024, who carried its gates away as a trophy of his 
conquest. Ghuzni was captured by the British in the Afghan 
campaign of 1842. Lord Ellenborough, then Governor-General 
of India, brought the gates back to India, and they are now in 
the British arsenal at Aera. 



THE ISLAND OF SOCOTRA, 



497 



*' Kesmacoran Is the modern province of Mekran, generally 
called Kij-Mekran by the inhabitants. Scotra is the modern 
Socotra, an island of the Indian Ocean, off the east coast of 
Africa, 140 miles northeast of Cape Guardafui. In the middle 
ages the inhab- 
itants were 
Christians, but 
they are now 
fanatical Mo- 
ham m edans, 
living in a state 
of the lowest 
barbarism. Oc- 
casionally you 
read in the 
newspapers of 
the wreck of a ship on 
the coast of Socotra, 
the plunder of its cargo 
by the natives, and pos- 
sibly the murder of her 
crew. Since we began 
these readings a 
French steamer was 
wrecked there, and her 
people were only saved 
from murder by the 
timely arrival of an 
English gun-boat." 

''Please tell us The Gate of Somnath. 

about the ambergris they find there," said one of the youths. 
'' I would like to know what it is and what use is made of it." 

Fred was evidently uninformed on the subject as he turned 
inquiringly towards the doctor. The latter responded to the 
mute appeal and thus answered the question : 




498 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

''Ambergris means gray amber," said he, ''and the substance 
bearing that name is of an ashen gray color. It is found floating 
on the sea in various parts of the world, in lumps varying from 
half an ounce to a hundred pounds in weight, and is taken from 
the intestines of the spermaceti whale ; it is probably a secretion 
from the bile of the whale, but the scientists are not all agreed 
concerning it. It has an^agreeable odor and is used in perfumery 
to a great extent ; in Asia and Africa it is given as a medicine, 
but is hardly known for that purpose in Europe and America. 
As it costs about five dollars an ounce and sometimes more, it is 
not likely to come into general use. A lump of ambergris 
weighing 130 pounds was found in the West Indies a few years 
ago by a fisherman ; he sold it for $2,500, and the purchaser 
realized double that amount on his speculation. The largest 
piece ever found was in the Dutch East Indies, and weighed 182 
pounds." 

The doctor's brief lecture on ambergris was duly applauded. 
Fred announced that the exercises of the next evening would 
begin with a description of the island of Madagascar, and then 
the meeting adjourned. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

Madagascar and Zanzibar — The Gigantic Bird of Antiquity, the Roc — Discovery of a Roc's Skele- 
ton in New Zealand — Description of Africa — Aden, Esher, and Dufur — How Frankincense is 
Obtained. 

" Our Venetian traveller was the first writer, European or 
Asiatic, to give a description of Madagascar," said Frank, at the 
opening of the next session of the Society, " and for this he de- 
serves much honor. But he is wrong in much of his information, 
as the island contains no elephants, camels, leopards, bears, or 
lions. Evidently he had his notes concerning it mixed up with 
those referring to the coast of Africa, as you will see when you 
have heard what he says." 

With this introduction Frank proceeded. 

CONCERNING THE ISLAND OF MADEIGASCAR. 

Madeigascar is an Island toward the south, about a thousand miles 
from Scotra. The people are all Saracens, adoring Mahommet. They 
have four Esheks^ i. e., four Elders who are said to govern the whole 
Island. It is a most noble and beautiful Island, and one of the greatest 
in the world, for it is about 4000 miles in compass. The people live by 
trade and handicrafts. 

In this Island, and in another beyond it called Zanghibar, about 
which we shall tell you afterwards, there are more elephants than in any 
country in the world. The amount of traffic in elephants' teeth in these 
two Islands is something astonishing. 

In this Island they eat no flesh but that of camels ; and of these they 
kill an incredible number daily. They say it is the best and wholesomest 
of all flesh ; and so they eat of it all the year round. 

They have many trees of red sanders, of excellent quality , in fact, all 
their forests consist of it. They have also a quantity of ambergis, for 

499 



500 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

whales are abundant in that sea, and they catch numbers of them ; and so 
are Oil-heads, which are a huge kind of fish, which also produce ambergris 
like the w^hale. There are numbers of leopards, bears, and lions in the 
country, and other wild beasts in abundance. Many traders and many 
ships go thither with cloths of gold and silk, and many other kinds of 
goods, and drive a profitable trade. 

You must know that this Island lies so far south that ships cannot go 
further south or visit other Islands in that direction, except this one and 
that other of which we have to tell you, called Zanghibar. This is be- 
cause the sea-current runs so strong towards the south that the ships 
which should attempt it never would get back again. Indeed, the ships of 
Maabar which visit this Island of Madagascar, and that other of Zanghi- 
bar, arrive thither with marvellous speed, for great as the distance is they 

accomplish it in 20 days, whilst 



the return voyage takes them 

more than 3 months. This is 

because of the strong current 

running south, which continues 

with such singular force and in 

the same direction at all seasons. 

" "" ' '^'-^"' 'T is said that in those other 

Roc's Egg. 

Islands to the south, which the 

ships are unable to visit because this strong current prevents their return, is 
found the bird Gryphon, which appears there at certain seasons. The de- 
scription given of it is, however, entirely different from what our stories and 
pictures make it. For persons who had been there and had seen it told 
Messer Marco Polo that it was for all the world like an eagle, but one 
indeed of enormous size ; so big in fact that its wings covered an extent 
of 30 paces, and its quills were 12 paces long, and thick in proportion. 
And it is so strong that it will seize an elephant in its talons and carry 
him high into the air, and drop him so that he is smashed 'to pieces ; hav- 
ing so killed him the bird gryphon swoops down upon him and eats him 
at leisure. The people of those isles call the bird Rue, and it has no 
other name. So I wot not if this be the real gryphon, or if there be an- 
other manner of bird as great. But this I can tell you for certain, that 




STORIES ABOUT THE ROC. 



501 



they are not half lion and half bird as our stories do relate ; but enor- 
mous as they be they are fashioned just like an eagle. 

The Great Kaan sent to those parts to enquire about these curious 
matters, and the story was told by those who went thither. He also sent 
to procure the release of an envoy of his who had been despatched 
thither, and had been detained ; so both those envoys had many won- 
derful things to tell the Great Kaan about those strange islands, and 
about the birds I have mentioned. They brought (as I heard) to the 
Great Kaan a feather of the said Rue, which was stated to measure 
90 spans, whilst the quill part was two palms in circumference, a 
marvellous object ! The Great Kaan was delighted with it, and gave 

great presents to those who 

«- — 

brought it. They also 
brought two boar's tusks, 
which weighed more than 
14 lbs. a piece ; and you 
may gather how big the 
boar must have been that 
had teeth like that ! They 
related indeed that there 
were some of these boars 
as big as a great buffalo. 
There are also numbers of 
giraffes and wild asses ; and 
in fact a marvellous number 
of wild beasts of strange aspect 




The Rue, (From a Persian Drawing.) 



CONCERNING THE ISLAND OF ZANGHIBAR. 

GENERAL. 



A WORD ON INDIA IN 



Zanghibar is a great and noble Island, with a compass of some 
2000 miles. The people are all Idolaters, and have a king and a language 
of their own, and pay tribute to nobody. They are both tall and stout, 
but not tall in proportion to their stoutness, for if they were, being so 
stout and brawny, they would be absolutely like giants ; and they are so 
strong that they will carry for four men and eat for five. 



502 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

They are all black, and go naked, with only a little covering for 
decency. Their hair is as black as pepper, and so frizzly that even with 
water you can scarcely straighten it. And their mouths are so large, 
their noses so turned up, their lips so thick, their eyes so big and blood- 
shot, that they look like very devils ; they are in fact so hideously ugly 
that the world has nothing to show more horrible. 

Elephants are produced in this country in wonderful profusion. 
There are also lions that are black and quite different from ours. And 
their sheep are all exactly alike in color: the body all white and the 
head black; no other kind of sheep is found there, you may rest assured. 
They have also many giraffes. This is a beautiful creature, and I must 
give you a description of it. Its body is short and somewhat sloped to 
the rear, for its hind legs are short whilst the fore-legs and the neck are 
both very long, and thus its head stands about three paces from the 
ground. The head is small, and the animal is not at all mischievous. 
Its color is all red and white in round spots, and it is really a beautiful 
object. 

The women of this Island are the ugliest in the world, with their great 
mouths and big eyes and thick noses. The people live on rice and flesh 
and milk and dates ; and they make wine of dates and of rice and of 
good spices and sugar. There is a great deal of trade, and many 
merchants and vessels go thither. But the staple trade of the Island is 
in elephants' teeth, which are very abundant ; and they have also much 
ambergris, as whales are plentiful. 

They have among them excellent and valiant warriors, and have little 
fear of death. They have no horses, but fight mounted on camels and 
elephants. On the latter they set wooden castles which carry from ten 
to sixteen persons, armed with lances, swords, and stones, so that they 
fight to great purpose from these castles. They wear no armor, but 
carry only a shield of hide, besides their swords and lances, and so a mar- 
vellous number of them fall in battle. When they are going to take an 
elephant into battle they ply him well with their wine, so that he is made 
half drunk. They do this because the drink makes him more fierce and 
bold, and of more service in battle. 

In speaking of the Indian Islands we have described only the most 



INDIA AND ITS ISLANDS. 



503 



noble provinces and kingdoms among them ; for no man on earth could 
give you a true account of the whole of the Islands of India. Still, what 
I have described are the best, and as it were the Flower of the Indies. 
For the greater part of the other Indian Islands that I have omitted are 
subject to those that I have described. 

It is a fact that in this Sea of India _ ^ . - ' 

there are 12,700 Islands, inhabited and 
uninhabited, according to the charts 
and documents of experienced mari- 
ners who navigate that Indian Sea. 

India the Greater 
is that which extends -"' - 
from Maabar to Kesma- 
coran ; and it contains 13 
great kingdoms, of which 
we have described ten. 
These are all on the main 
land. 

India the Lesser 
extends from the Prov- 
ince of Champa to Mut- 
fili and contains eight 
great kingdoms. These 
are likewise all on the 
mainland. And neither 
of these numbers in- ^ilOT> 
eludes the Islands, among ^&i 
which also there are very 
numerous kingdoms, as I 
have told you. 




Saracens Saying Their Prayers. 



TREATING OF THE GREAT PROVINCE OF ABASH WHICH IS MIDDLE INDIA, 
AND IS ON THE MAINLAND. 

Abash is a very great Province, and you must know that it consti- 
tutes the Middle India ; and it is on the mainland. There are in it six 



504 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

great Kings with six great Kingdoms ; and of these six Kings there are 
three that are Christians and three that are Saracens ; but the greatest of 
all the six is a Christian, and all the others are subject to him. 

The Christians in this country bear three marks on the face ; one from 
the forehead to the middle of the nose, and one on either cheek. These 
marks are made with a hot iron, and form part of their baptism ; for after 
that they have been baptized with water, these three marks are made, 
partly as a token of gentility, and partly as the completion of their bap- 
tism. There are also Jews in the country, and these bear two marks, one 
on either cheek ; and the Saracens have but one, to wit, on the forehead 
extending halfway down the nose. 

The Great King lives in the middle of the country ; the Saracens 
towards Aden. St. Thomas the Apostle preached in this region, and after 
he had converted the people he went away to the province of Maabar, where 
he died ; and there his body lies, as I have told you in a former place. 

The people here are excellent soldiers, and they go on horseback, for 
they have horses in plenty. Well they may ; for they are in daily war with 
the Soldan of Aden, and with the Nubians, and a variety of other nations. 

Their country abounds greatly in all kinds of victual ; and the people 
live on flesh and rice and milk and sesame. They have plenty of ele- 
phants, not that they are bred in the country, but they are brought from 
the Islands of the other India. They have, however, many giraffes, which 
are produced in the country ; besides bears, leopards, lions in abundance, 
and many other passing strange beasts. They have also numerous wild 
asses ; and cocks and hens the most beautiful that exist, and many other 
kinds of birds. For instance they have ostriches that are nearly as big as 
asses ; and plenty of beautiful parrots, with apes of sundry kinds, and 
baboons and other monkeys that have countenances all but human. 

There are numerous cities and villages in this province of Abash, and 
many merchants ; for there is much trade to be done there. The people 
also manufacture very fine buckrams and other cloths of cotton. 

CONCERNING THE PROVINCE OF ADEN. 

You must know that in the province of ADEN there is a Prince who 
is called the Soldan. The people are all Saracens and adorers of Ma- 



ADEN AND ITS HORSES. 



505 



hommet, and have a great hatred of Christians. There are many towns 
and villages in the country. 

This Aden is the port to which many of the ships of India come with 
their cargoes ; and from this haven the merchants carry the goods a 
distance of seven days further in small vessels. At the end of those 
seven days they land the goods and load them on camels, and so carry 
them a land journey of 30 days. This brings them to the river of 
Alexandria, and by it they descend to the latter city. It is by this 
way through Aden that the Saracens of Alexandria receive all their 
stores of pepper and other spicery ; and there is no other route equally 
good and convenient by which these goods could reach that place. 

And you must know that the Soldan of Aden receives a large amount 
in duties from the ships that traffic between India and his country, 




View of Aden. 

importing different kinds of goods ; and from the exports also he gets a 
revenue, for there are despatched from the port of Aden to India a very 
large number of Arab chargers, and palfreys, and stout nags adapted for 
all work, which are a source of great profit to those who export them. 
For horses fetch very high prices in India, there being none bred there, 
as I have told you before ; insomuch that a charger will sell there for 100 
marks of silver and more. On these also the Soldan of Aden receives 
heavy payments in port charges, so that 't is said he is one of the richest 
princes in the world. 

And it is a fact that when the Soldan of Babylon went against the 
city of Acre and took it, this Soldan of Aden sent to his assistance 30,000 
horsemen and full 40,000 camels, to the great help of the Saracens and 



5o6 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



the grievous injury of the Christians. He did this a great deal more for 
the hate he bears the Christians than for any love he bears the Soldan 
of Babylon ; for these two do hate one another heartily. 

I will tell you of a city which is subject to Aden, called ESHER. 

CONCERNING THE CITY OF ESHER. 
It is a great city lying in a north-westerly direction from the last, and 
400 miles distant from the Port of Aden. It has a king, who is subject 
to the Soldan of Aden. He has a number of towns and villages under 
him, and administers his territory well and justly. 




An Arab Shoe-Shop. 

The people are Saracens. The place has a very good haven, where- 
fore many ships from India come thither with various cargoes; and they 
export many good chargers thence to India. 

A great deal of white incense grows in this country, and brings in a 
great revenue to the Prince ; for no one dares sell it to any one else ; and 
whilst he takes it from the people at 10 livres of gold for the hundred- 
weight, he sells it to the merchants at 60 livres, so his profit is immense. 



HORSES THA T EAT FISH. 



507 



Dates also grow very abundantly here. The people have no corn but 
rice, and very little of that ; but plenty is brought from abroad, for it 
sells here at a good profit. They have fish in great profusion, and 
notably plenty of tunny of large size ; so plentiful indeed that you may 
buy two big ones for a Venice groat of silver. The natives live on meat 
and rice and fish. They have no wine of the vine, but they make good 
wine from sugar, from rice, and from 
dates also. 

And I must tell you another very 
strange thing. You must know that 
their sheep have no ears, but where 
the ear ought to be they have a 
little horn ! They are pretty little 
beasts. 

And I must not omit to tell you 
that all their cattle, including horses, 
oxen, and camels, live upon small fish 
and nought besides, for 't is all they 
get to eat. You see in all this coun- 
try there is no grass or forage of any 
kind ; it is the driest country on the 
face of the earth. The fish which 
are given to the cattle are very small, 
and during March, April, and May, 
are caught in such quantities as would 
astonish you. They are then dried 
and stored, and the beasts are fed 
on them from year's end to year's 
end. The cattle will also readily eat 
these fish all alive and just out of 
the water. 

The people here have likewise many other kinds of fish of large size 
and good quality, exceedingly cheap ; these they cut in pieces of about a 
pound each, and dry them in the sun, and then store them, and eat them 
all the year through, like so much biscuit. 




5o8 



THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 



'' Frank has disposed of the quadrupeds of Madagascar," said 
Fred, '' but we have something left that is more difficult to 
manage than all the four-footed beasts. I refer to the gigantic 
bird described under the name of rukh or roc. 

'' Polo is careful to distinguish it from xh^ gryphon or griffin, 
which was a fabulous creature of more ancient date than the roc. 
The story of the roc existed in many countries ; the Hindoos 
had the garitda, the Persians the szmurgk, and the Greeks the 
gryps. Rukh is the Arab name for the bird, and has been 
rendered into roc in Lane's translation of the Arabian Nights. 

''The most graphic account of this wonderful bird is in the 
narrative of Sindbad the Sailor which has been mentioned already. 




Drawing Water from an Arabian Well. 

Many travellers have repeated the fable, and one Arab writer, 
Ibn Batuta, professes to have seen a roc about ten miles from a 
ship on which he was sailing. It seemed to him like a large 
island in the air, and we may suppose that he was deceived by a 
mirage, though the sailors declared It to be a gigantic bird. 

'' Let me give you a summary of the stories that were current 
In Europe from the 12th to the 17th century, condensing them 
from Col. Yule's notes on the subject." 



A Portuguese navigator of the 15th century says : ''The bigness of 
the bird is such that between the extremities of the wings is said to be 



GREA T STORIES OF GREA T BIRDS. 509 

sixty paces. They say too that it carries away an elephant or any other 
great animal with the greatest ease, and does great injury to the inhabi- 
tants of the country, and is most rapid in its flight." 

In the Indian Sea, says Kazwini, is a bird of size so vast that when it 
is dead they take the half of its bill and make a ship of it! And there 
too Pigafetta heard of this bird, under its Hindu name of Garuda, so big 
that it could fly away with an elephant. Kazwini also says that it 
carries off an elephant as a hawk flies off with a mouse ; his flight is 
like the loud thunder. Whilom he dwelt near the haunts of men, and 
wrought them great mischief. But once on a time it had carried 
off a bride in her bridal array, and Hamdallah, the Prophet of those 
days, invoked a curse upon the bird. Wherefore the Lord banished it to 
an inaccessible Island in the Encircling Ocean. 

In Northern Siberia the people have a firm belief in the former exist- 
ence of birds of colossal size, suggested apparently by the fossil bones of 
great pachyderms which are so abundant there. The compressed sabre- 
like horns of Rlwtoceros tichorinus are constantly called, even by Russian 
merchants, birds claws. Some of the native tribes fancy the vaulted skull 
of the same rhinoceros to be the bird's head, and the leg-bones of other 
pachyderms to be its quills; and they relate that their forefathers used to 
fight wonderful battles with this bird. , 

Padre Bolivar, a Jesuit writer, says: '/ In some countries I have myself 
seen the wing-feathers of that enormous fowl, although the bird itself I 
never beheld. The feather in question, as could be deduced from its form, 
was one of the middle ones, and it was twenty-eight palms in length and 
three in breadth. The quill part, from the root to the extremity was five 
palms in length, of the thickness of an average man's arm, and of extreme 
strength and hardness. The fibres of the feather were equal in length and 
closely fitted, so that they could scarcely be parted without some exer- 
tion of force ; and they were jet black, whilst the quill part was white. 
Those who had seen the bird stated that it was bigger than the bulk of a 
couple of elephants, and that hitherto nobody had succeeded in killing 
one. It rises to the clouds with such extraordinary swiftness that it seems 
scarcely to stir its wings. In form it is like an eagle. Its biack feathers 
are held in very high estimation, and it is with the greatest difficulty that 



5IO THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

one can be got from the natives, for one such serves to fan ten people, 
and to keep off the terrible heat from them, as well as the wasps and 
flies." 

Abu Mahomed, of Spain, relates that a merchant arrived in Barbary 
who had lived long among the Chinese. He had with him the quill of a 
chick Rukh, and this held nine skins of water. He related the story of 
how he came by it, a story nearly the same as one of Sindbad's about the 
Rukh's Qgg. 

A seaman wrecked on the coast of Africa says : "■ By a hut that stood 
in the middle of a field of rice and durra there was a trough. A man 
came up leading a pair of oxen, laden with twelve skins of water, and 
emptied them into the trough. I drew near to drink, and found the 
trough to be polished like a steel blade, quite different from either glass 
or pottery. 'It is the hollow of a quill,' said the man. I would not 
believe a word of the sort, until, after rubbing it inside and outside, I 
found it to be transparent, and to retain the traces of the barbs." 

Friar Jordanus also says : '' In Eastern Africa are certain birds which 
are called Roc, so big that they easily carry an elephant up into the air. 
I have seen a person who said that he had seen one of those birds, one 
wing only of which stretched to a length of eighty palms." 

The Japanese Encyclopaedia states that in the country of the Tsengsz' 
in the S. W. Ocean, there is a bird c^W^d pheng, which in its flight eclipses 
the sun. It can swallow a camel ; and its quills are used for water 
casks. 

'' Of course these are all travellers' tales," said Fred, ''and I 
have given them to you partly because they are amusing, and 
partly for the reason before stated. But the stories had a foun- 
dation, and within the last few years it has been pretty well settled 
that the roc was not a fabulous bird, except in the exaggeration 
of his size. 

" There was in Madagascar a bird which is now extinct and 
has been named Aepyornis by the naturalists. A few of his 
bones have been found and also a fossil ^<gg which is now in the 
British Museum. The ^<gg is thirteen and a quarter inches long 



THE GREA T BIRD OF NEW ZEALAND. 



511 



by six and a half in diameter, and its capacity is about three and a 
half gallons. Down to a very recent date this bird was supposed 
to be still in existence, and the traditions of the island abound in 
narratives of his performances. Comparing the ^^'g with that of 
the eagle, and considering the bird of proportionate size, the great 
quills of the Aepyoriiis would be about ten feet long, and the 
spread of his wings over thirty feet. This is on the supposition 
that he was a bird of prey, but the prevailing opinion of natural- 
ists places him among the ostrich family. 

'' In New Zealand have been found many bones of the Moa^ 
as he is called by the natives, and he seems 
to have existed down to the eighteenth 
century. Professor Owen has named him 
the Dinor7iis, and the restored skeletons 
give the bird a height of ten and a half 
feet ! He was a lazy, stupid bird, living 
on vegetable food, and incapable of flying. 

''And now comes the partial confir- 
mation of Marco's story about the roc. In 
1874 Dr. Haast discovered in a swamp 
at Glenmark, in New Zealand, along with 
some bones of the moa, the bones of a 
gigntic bird, which he pronounced a spe- 
cies of hawk or eagle. They were sent 
to Professor Owen, who says they belonged 
to a bird of prey double the weight of the 
moa and therefore capable of capturing and killing it. He calls it 
Harpagornzs, and says the moa was probably its natural food ; 
the destruction of the moa by the natives who hunted it for its 
flesh and feathers led to the extinction of the Harpagornzs, as 
there was nothing left for him to eat. If the Dinornis had a 
natural enemy may it not be possible that the still larger Aepy- 
ornis of Madagascar was the natural food of the roc ? Perhaps 
some member of this Society will make an exploration of Mada- 
gascar and discover the remains of this wonder of creation. 
Who can tell ? " 




Skeleton of Dincmis of 
New Zealand. 



512 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

Fred's lecture on natural history was warmly applauded, and 
for fully a minute he was unable to proceed. When quiet was 
restored he continued : 

*' Marco has confounded the island of Zanzibar with the 
coast of Africa. The Arabs called the continent Zanjibar or ' re- 
gion of the blacks,' and it is only in recent times that the name 
has been restricted to the island. So we must bear in mind that 
we are considering the southern part of the continent in this nar- 
rative. Africa continues famous for elephants and giraffes, for 
negroes and camels, and for people who fight bravely and with- 




Ethiopian Sheep. 

out armor when properly commanded. The African elephant 
now runs wild altogether, but in former times he was domesti- 
cated like his Asiatic brother, so that the stories of his being used 
in battle are mainly correct. Sheep without wool are common 
in that part of the world, and the passenger who stops a few 
hours at Aden on his way to or from India will see enough of 
these animals to remove all doubts of their existence. 

" Abash is evidently Abyssinia, but the Abyssinian Chris- 
tians do not burn their faces with hot irons at the present time. 
By the ' Soldan of Aden ' Marco means the Sultan of Yemen ; 
Aden was a port of the Arab province of Yemen ; in 1839, partly 



CHARACTERISTICS OF ADEN. 



513 



by treaty and partly by force, it fell into the hands of the Eng- 
lish. It was an important city in Polo's time and for centuries 
afterward, but it gradually declined ; and when the British ob- 
tained it there were less than six hundred people living there. 
England has a strong fort at Aden and keeps a garrison in it con- 
stantly. The place is hot and without vegetation ; rain falls but 
rarely, and when it does the water is caught and stored in enor- 



\v ^V 







The Harvest of Frankincense in Arabia, (From an Old Print.) 

mous cisterns built by the Arabs in the time of the city's pros- 
perity. 

" Esher or Es-Shehr still exists on the coast of Arabia, 330 
miles east of Aden. The story about feeding animals on 
dried fish seems to be well founded, and it is certain that incense 
or frankincense is one of the articles exported from the place, 
and also from Dufar, which Frank will presently read about 



514 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

It Is generally known as olibanum, and is a resinous gum 
obtained from the trunk of a tree scientifically called the Boswel- 
lia serrata. Incisions are made in the bark, and as the sap flows 
it emits a delicious odor and hardens by exposure to the atmos- 
phere and sun. The hardened drops are gathered, and form the 
article which finds its way to market. It is used somewhat in 
medicine, but chiefly for incense in Catholic churches." 

Fred paused, and Frank resumed his part of the entertain- 
ment. 

CONCERNING THE CITY OF DUFAR. 

DUFAR is a great and noble and fine city, and lies 500 miles to the 
north-west of Esher. The people are Saracens, and have a Count for 
their chief, who is subject to the Soldan of Aden ; for this city stilL 
belongs to the Province of Aden. It stands upon the sea and has a very 
good haven, so that there is a great traffic of shipping between this and. 
India ; and the merchants take hence great numbers of Arab horses to 
that market, miaking great profits thereby. This city has under it many 
other towns and villages. 

Much white incense is produced here, and I will tell you how it grows. 
The trees are like small fir-trees ; these are notched with a knife in 
several places, and from these notches the incense is exuded. Some- 
times also it flows from the tree without any notch ; this is by reason of 
the great heat of the sun there. 

CONCERNING THE GULF OF CALATU AND THE CITY SO CALLED. 

Calatu is a great city, within a gulf which bears the name of the Gulf 
of Calatu. It is a noble city, and lies 600 miles from Dufar tow- 
ards the north-west, upon the sea-shore. The people are Saracens, and 
are subject to Hormos. And whenever the Melic of Hormos is at war 
with some prince more potent than himself, he betakes himself to this 
city of Calatu, because it is very strong, both from its position and its 
fortifications. 

They grow no corn here, but get it from abroad ; for every merchant- 
vessel that comes brings some. The haven is very large and good, and 
is frequented by numerous ships with goods from India, and from this 



THE SULTAN OF KERMAN. 



515 



city the spices and other merchandize are distributed among the cities and 
towns of the interior. They also export good Arab horses from this to 
India. For, as I have told you before, the number of horses exported 
from this and the other cities to India yearly is something astonishing. 

The city of Calatu stands at the mouth of the Gulf, so that no ship 
can enter or go forth without the will of the chief. And when the Melic 
of Hormos, who is Melic of Calatu also, and is vassal to the Soldan of 
Kerman, fears any thing 
at the hand of the latter, 
he gets on board his ships 
and comes from Hormos 
to Calatu. And then he 
prevents any ship from 
entering the Gulf. This 
causes great injury to the 
Soldan of Kerman ; for 
he thus loses all the duties 
that he is wont to receive 
from merchants frequent- 
ing his territories from 
India or elsewhere ; for 
ships with cargoes of mer- 
chandize come in great 
numbers, and a very large 
revenue is derived from 
them. In this way he is 
constrained to give way 
to the demands of the 
Melic of Hormos. 

This Melic has also a castle which is still stronger than the city, and 
has a better command of the entry to the Gulf. 

The people of this country live on dates and salt fish, which they have 
in great abundance ; the nobles, however, have better fare. 

There is no more to say on this subject. So now let us go on and 
speak of the city of Hormos, of which we told you before. 




Foliage of the Incense Tree. 



5i6 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



RETURNS TO THE CITY OF HORMOS WHEREOF WE SPOKE FORMERLY. 

When you leave the city of Calatu, and go for 300 miles between 
north-west and north, you come to the city of Hormos ; a great and 
noble city on the sea. It has a Melic, which is as much as to say a king, 
and he is under the Soldan of Kerman. 

There are a good many cities and towns belonging to Hormos, and the 
people are Saracens. The heat is tremendous, and on that account their 
houses are built with ventilators to catch the wind. These ventilators are 
placed on the side from which the wind comes, and they bring the wind 

down into the house to cool it. But for this 
the heat would be utterly unbearable. 

I shall say no more about these places, be- 
cause I formerly told you in regular order all 
about this same city of Hormos, and about 
Kerman as well. But as we took one way to 

SI'lPII'Jarnril'^IHar ^^' ^^^ another to come back, it was proper 

llllilB i ill ^^^^ ^^^ should bring you a second time to this 

liillliilil point. 

When you leave the city of Calatu and go 
between west and north-west, a distance of 500 
miles, you come to the city of Kis. Of that, 
however, we shall say no more now, but pass it 
with this brief mention, and return to Great 
Turkey. 

'' There is little to be added," said Fred, as soon as Frank sat 
down, *' and we will soon be ready for adjournment. The 
modern Kalhat is the Calatu of Polo, but it is only an insignifi- 
cant village in the midst of a wide extent of ruins. We have 
heard of Hormos, or Ormuz, in the earlier part of the narrative, 
and if we consult the map we shall find Polo's distances are 
quite accurate. The ventilators for the houses are still in use 
throughout the East, the form varying somewhat according to 
the country, and the force of the wind. 

"We are now," continued the youth, ''at the end of the 




A Persian Wind-Catcher. 



STORIES OF TARTAR WARS. 517 

third book of Polo's travels. On our next evening we shall give 
you a selection from the fourth and last book ; I say a selection, 
because the book is mainly devoted to an account of Tartar wars, 
which would be dull reading for Frank, duller listening for his 
audience, and would have the dullest sort of comments from me. 
We have decided to omit all but the descriptive portion of the 
book, and feel confident that our decision will meet with your 
approval." 

The decision was evidently approved, if we may judge by the 
way it was received, and on motion of one member, duly seconded 
by another, the meeting came to an end. 




CHAPTER XXIV. 

'I'he Exploits of King Caidu's Daughter — King Conchi and his Dominions — Siberia — Travelling 
with Dogs — The Land of Darkness — Russia and its Tartar Conquerors — Conclusion. 

Precisely at the time fixed for the next meeting of the so- 
ciety the assemblage was called to order. There was a full 
attendance ; not a single seat in the library was vacant, and the 
vicinity of the president's desk appeared more crowded than 
usual. 

Frank repeated the explanation which Fred had made at the 
last meeting, that the accounts of the Tartar wars would be 
omitted, and he should confine himself mainly to the descrip- 
tive portion of the text. '' I will first read," said he, '' a pretty 
story which is found near the beginning of the book, and then 
proceed with the description of strange countries." 

OF THE EXPLOITS OF KING CAIDU'S VALIANT DAUGHTER. 

In Great Turkey there is a king called Caidu, who is the Great 
Kaan's nephew, for he was the grandson of Chagatai, the Great Kaan's 
own brother. He hath many cities and castles, and is a great Prince. 
He and his people are Tartars ahke ; and they are good soldiers, for they 
are constantly engaged in war. 

King Caidu had a daughter whose name was AlJARUC, which in the 
Tartar is as much as to say " The Bright Moon." This damsel was very 
beautiful, but also so strong and brave that in all her father's realm there 
was no man who could outdo her in feats of strength. In all trials she 
showed greater strength than any man of them. 

Her father often desired to give her in marriage, but she would none 
of it. She vowed she would never marry till she found a man who could 
vanquish her in every trial ; him she would wed and none else. And 

518 



KING CAIDU'S DAUGHTER. 



519 



when her father saw how resolute she was, he gave a formal consent in 
their fashion, that she should marry whom she list and when she list. 
The lady was so tall and muscular, so stout and shapely withal, that she 
was almost like a giantess. She had distributed her challenges over all 
the kingdoms, declaring that whosoever should come to try a fall with 
her, it should be on these conditions — viz. : that if she vanquished him 
she should win from him 100 horses, and if he vanquished her he should 
win her to wife. Hence, many a noble youth had come to try his strength 
against her, but she beat them all ; and in this way she had won more 
than 10,000 horses. 




A Castle of the King. 

Now it came to pass in the year 1280 that there presented himself a 
noble young gallant, the son of a rich and puissant king, a man of prow- 
ess and valiance and great strength of body, who had heard word of the 
damsel's challenge, and came to match himself against her in the hope of 
vanquishing her and winning her to wife. That he greatly desired, for 
the young lady was passing fair. He, too, was young and handsome, 
fearless and strong in every way, insomuch that not a man in all his 
father's realm could vie with him. So he came full confidently, and brought 



520 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

with him looo horses to be forfeited if she should vanquish him. Thus 
might she gain lOOO horses at a single stroke ! But the young gallant had 
such confidence in his own strength that he counted securely to win her. 

King Caidu and the Queen his wife, the mother of the stout damsel, 
did privily beseech their daughter to let herself be vanquished. For they 
greatly desired this prince for their daughter, seeing what a noble youth 
he was, and the son of a great king. But the damsel answered that never 
would she let herself be vanquished if she could help it ; if, indeed, he 
should get the better of her then she would gladly be his wife, according 
to the wager, but not otherwise. 

So a day was named for a great gathering at the Palace of King Caidu, 
and the King and Queen were there. And when all the company were 
assembled, for great numbers flocked to see the match, the damsel first 
came forth in a strait jerkin of sammet ; and then came forth the young 
bachelor in a jerkin of sendal ; and a winsome sight they were to see. 
When both had taken post in the middle of the hall they grappled each 
other by the arms and wrestled this way and that, but for a long time 
neither could get the better of the other. At last, however, it so befel 
that the damsel threw him right valiantly on the palace pavement. And 
when he found himself thus thrown, and her standing over him, great in- 
deed was his shame and discomfiture. He gat him up straightway, and 
without more ado departed with all his company, and returned to his 
father, full of shame and vexation that he who had never yet found a 
man who could stand before him should have been thus worsted by a girl ! 
And his looo horses he left behind him. 

As to King Caidu and his wife they were greatly annoyed, as I can 
tell you ; for if they had had their will this youth should have won their 
daughter. 

After this her father never went on a campaign but she went with him. 

And gladly he took her, for not a knight in all his train played such feats 

of arms as she did. Sometimes she would quit her father's side, and 

make a dash at the host of the enemy, and seize some man thereout, as 

deftly as a hawk pounces on a bird, and carry him to her father ; and 

this she did many a time. 

* -:t * * * * -jf * 



THE PEOPLE OF SIBERIA. 



521 



CONCERNING KING CONCHI WHO RULES THE FAR NORTH. 

In the far north there is a King called CONCHI. He is a Tartar, and 
all his people are Tartars, and they keep up the regular Tartar religion. 
A very brutish one it is, but they keep it up just the same as Chinghis 
Kaan and the proper Tartars did, so I will tell you something of it. 

They make them a god of felt, and call him Natigai ; and they also 
make him a wife ; and then they say that these two divinities are the 
gods of the earth who protect their cattle and their corn and all their 
earthly goods. They pray to these figures, and when they are eating a 




Crossing the Yenesei River, Siberia. 

good dinner they rub the mouths of their gods with the meat, and do 
many other stupid things. 

The King is subject to no one, although he is of the Imperial lineage 
of Chinghis Kaan, and a near kinsman of the Great Kaan. This King 
has neither city nor castle ; he and his people live always either in the 
wide plains or among great mountains and valleys. They subsist on the 
milk and flesh of their cattle and have no corn. The King has a vast 
number of people, but he carries on no war with anybody, and his people 
live in great tranquillity. They have enormous numbers of cattle, camels, 
horses, oxen, sheep, and so forth. 



522 THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 

You find in their country immense bears entirely white, and more than 
twenty palms in length. There are also large black foxes, wild asses, and 
abundance of sables; those creatures I mean from the skins of which 
they make those precious robes that cost looo bezants each. There 
are also vairs in abundance ; and vast multitudes of the Pharaoh's 
rat, on which the people live all the summer time. Indeed they have 
plenty of all sorts of wild creatures, for the country they inhabit is very 
wild and trackless. 

This King possesses one tract of country which is quite impassable foi 
horses, for it abounds greatly in lakes and springs, and hence there is so 
much ice as well as mud and mire, that horses cannot travel over it. 
This difficult country is thirteen days in extent, and at the end of every 
day's journey there is a post for the lodgment of the couriers who have 
to cross this tract. At each of these post-houses they keep some 40 
dogs of great size, in fact not much smaller than donkeys, and these dogs 
draw the couriers over the day's journey from post-house to post-house, 
and I will tell you how. You see the ice and mire are so prevalent, 
that over this tract, w^hich lies for those 13 days' journey in a great 
valley between two mountains, no horses (as I told you) can travel, nor 
can any wheeled carriage either. Wherefore they make sledges, which 
are carriages without wheels, and made so that they can run over the ice, 
and also over mire and mud without sinking too deep in it. Of these 
sledges indeed there are many in our own country, for 't is just such that 
are used in winter for carrying hay and straw when there have been heavy 
rains and the country is deep in mire. On such a sledge then they lay 
a bear-skin on which the courier sits, and the sledge is drawn by six of 
those big dogs that I spoke of. The dogs have no driver, but go straight 
for the next post-house, drawing the sledge famously over ice and mire. 
The keeper of the post-house however also gets on a sledge drawn by 
dogs, and guides the party by the best and shortest way. And when 
they arrive at the next station they find a new relay of dogs and sledges 
ready to take them on, whilst the old relay turns back ; and thus they 
accomplish the whole journey across that region, always drawn by 
dogs. 

The people who dwell in the valleys and mountains adjoining that 



TRAVELLING IN THE DARKNESS. 523 

tract of 13 days' journey are great huntsmen, and catch great numbers 
of precious little beasts which are sources of great profit to them. 
Such are^the Sable, the Ermine, the Vair, the Erculin, the Black Fox, and 
many other creatures from the skins of which the most costly furs are 
prepared. They use traps to take them, from which they can't escape. 
But in that region the cold is so great that all the dwellings of the people 
are underground, and underground they always live. 

There is no more to say on this subject, so I shad proceed to tell you 
of a region in that quarter, in which there is perpetual darkness. 



House with Underground Floors. 
CONCERNING THE LAND OF DARKNESS. 

Still further north, and a long way beyond that kingdom of wdiich I 
have spoken, there is a region which bears the name of DARKNESS, be- 
cause neither sun nor moon nor stars appear, but it is always as dark as 
with us in the twilight. The people have no king of their own, nor are 
they subject to any foreigner, and live like beasts. They are dull of un- 
derstanding, like half-witted persons. 

The Tartars, however, sometimes visit the country, and they do it in 
this way. They enter the region riding mares that have foals, and these 
foals they leave behind. After taking all the plunder that they can get 
they find their way back by the help of the mares, which are all eager to 



524 THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. 

get back to their foals, and find their way much better than their riders 
could do. 

Those people have vast quantities of valuable peltry ; thus they have 
those costly Sables of which I spoke, and they have the Ermine, the 
Arculin, the Vair, the Black Fox, and many other valuable furs. They 
are all hunters by trade, and amass amazing quantities of those furs. And 
the people who are on their borders, where the Light is, purchase all 
those furs from them ; for the people of the Land of Darkness carry the 
furs to the Light country for sale, and the merchants who purchase these 
make great gain thereby, I assure you. 

The people of this region are tall and shapely, but very pale and col- 
orless. One end of the country borders upon Great Rosia. And as there 
is no more to be said about it, I will now proceed, and first I will tell 
you about the Province of ROSIA. 

DESCRIPTION OF ROSIA AND ITS PEOPLE. PROVINCE OF LAC. 

Rosia is a very great province, lying towards the north. The people 
are Christians, and follow the Greek doctrine. There are several kings in 
the country, and they have a language of their own. They are a people 
of simple manners, but both men and women very handsome, being all 
very white and tall, with long fair hair. There are many strong defiles and 
passes in the country ; and they pay tribute to nobody except to a certain 
Tartar king of the Ponent, whose name is TOCTAI ; to him, indeed, they 
pay tribute, but only a trifle. It is not a land of trade, though, to be 
sure, they have many fine and valuable furs, such as Sables in abundance, 
and Ermine, Vair, Ercolin, and Fox skins, the largest and finest in the 
world, and also much wax. They also possess many Silver-mines, from 
which they derive a large amount of silver. 

There is a province called Lac, which is coterminous with Rosia, and 
has a king of its own. The people are partly Christians and partly Sara- 
cens. They have abundance of furs of good quality, which merchants 
export to many countries. They live by trade and handicrafts. 

There is one thing more to tell you about Rosia that I had forgotten. 
You see in Rosia there is the greatest cold that is to be found anywhere, 
so great as to be scarcely bearable. The country is so great that it 



TARTAR WEDDING CEREMONIALS. 



525 



reaches even to the shores of the Ocean Sea, and 't is in that sea that 
there are certain islands in which are produced numbers of gerfalcons and 
peregrine falcons, which are carried in many directions. From Rosia 
also to Oroech it is not very far, and the journey could be soon made, 
were it not for the tremendous cold ; but this renders its accomplishment 
almost impossible. 



'' The story of King Caidu's daughter," said Fred, '' has a 
foundation of truth to rest 
upon. The king had many 
sons, but only one daughter ; 
she was her father's favorite 
child, and accompaied him 
in all his miHtary campaigns. 
He refused her hand to all 
applicants, and after his 
death she tried unsuccess- 
fully to be his successor on 
the throne. Ai-Yaruc, her 
name in Turkish, is literally 
translated by Polo, and is 
still in frequent use among 
the women of Central Asia. 

*' The wrestling, match 
between the maiden and her 
suitors recalls the Tartar 
form of marriage which we 
have already described, 
where the bride, on horse- 
back, is pursued by her lover and his friends. Stories resembling 
this have appeared in history at different times, and one of them, 
at least, dates from Herodotus, who says that among the Amazons 
no girl was permitted to marry till she had killed an enemy. 

'' From King Caidu," continued the youth, '' we will turn to 
King Conchi, who ruled the Tartars of Siberia in Polo's time. 




Valley of the Amoor River, Siberia. 



526 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



Siberia is the land of bears and foxes, of wild asses and sables, 
and of horses, oxen, and sheep. Camels are used in the southern 
part of the country as beasts of burden, while dogs are employed 
for drawing sledges and towing boats in the north. On the 
banks of the Amoor River in Siberia the tiger and the reindeer 
are found in the same forests, and the trees frequently furnish 
resting-places at the same time for birds from the tropics and the 




The Siberian Dog-Sledge. 

polar circle. Nowhere else in the world does nature present so 
many varieties of animal and vegetable life. 

'' The white bears which Polo mentions belong only to the 
shores of the Arctic Ocean, while the wild asses are restricted to 
the southern portion of Siberia. The mode of travelling with 
dogs is very much the same to-day as when Marco describes it, 
but there is one difference that should be mentioned. The teams 
are always composed of an odd number of dogs, — three, five, 
seven, nine, or more, and they are harnessed in pairs with a 



SIBERIAN FURS. 527 

leader at the head. The leader is the best trained and most 
intelligent of the pack ; he exercises great control over the other 
dogs in keeping them to their work, and will often find his way 
in the dark over a trackless plain when his master is unable to 
indicate the proper direction. 

'* The fur called erculin is supposed to be the squirrel, as the 
skin of the Siberian squirrel is well known in the fur market, and 
is not otherwise mentioned by Polo. Vair is probably the pre- 
pared fur rather than the name of an animal, as it appears quite 
often in that connection in mediaeval books. The winter dwell- 
ings of the people are not, strictly speaking, built under ground, 
but they are banked very high with earth, and in some parts of 
Siberia the floors of the houses are sunk two or three feet below 
the surrounding level. In the extreme north habitations entirely 
under ground have been found, but they belonged to a previous 
race of people whose history is unknown. 

'' Marco seems to have been ignorant of the true character of 
the night and day of the polar circle when he calls it a region of 
perpetual darkness. In the version of Ramusio there is a more 
intelligent account in the following words : 

" ' Because for most part of the winter months the sun appears not, and 
the air is dusky, as it is just before the dawn when you see and yet. do 
not see.* 

'' He also speaks of the inhabitants catching the fur-bearing 
animals in summer, when they have continuous daylight. The 
story of how the Tartars find their way back again after pene- 
trating this region is very old. It appears in several Tartar and 
Arab narratives previous to Palestine, and also in the legends of 
the campaigns of Alexander the Great. In this connection Ibn 
Batuta's account of the traffic with the natives of the Land of 
Darkness is interesting. He says : 

'' ' When the Travellers have acccomplished a journey of 40 days across 
this Desert tract they encamp near the borders of the Land or Darkness. 



528 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO, 



Each of them then deposits there the goods that he has brought with 
him, and all return to their quarters. On the morrow they come back to 
look at their goods, and find laid beside them skins of the Sable, the 
Vair, and the Ermine. If the owner of the goods is satisfied with what 
is laid beside his parcel he takes it, if not he leaves it there. The 
inhabitants of the Land of Darkness may then (on another visit) increase 
the amount of their deposit, or, as often happens, they may take it away 
altogether and leave the goods of the foreign merchants untouched. In 
this way is the trade conducted. The people who go thither never know 

whether those with whom they buy and 
. sell are men or goblins, for they never see 




any one 



" By Rosia you will readily under- 
stand that Russia is meant. It was 
then subject to the Tartars, by whom 
it had been conquered in the first 
half of the thirteenth century. The 
conquest was not so trifling as Polo 
indicates, since the Tartar tax-gath- 
erers were throughout the whole 
country, and their exactions were se- 
vere. Lac doubtless means Wallachia, 
and Oroech is supposed to be a mis- 
take for Noroech, which means Noi^- 
vege, or Norway." 
Here Fred paused and held a whispered conversation with 
Frank. It lasted only a few moments, and then the youth con- 
tinued : 

'' With the exception of the concluding paragraph, we have 
now finished the story of Marco Polo's travels. If it has proved 
as interesting to you as to ourselves, we are abundantly repaid 
for our efforts at your entertainment. Perhaps some of you 
may think we have been prolix, have dwelt too much upon 
details ; or, on the other hand, have passed too hastily over 



Mediaeval Russian Church. 



t^ 



THE END OF THE BOOK. 529 

points which needed further elucidation. In attempting to give 
ail the material parts of the famous Venetian's narrative, we have 
found it impossible to avoid occasional repetitions ; and in striv- 
ing to show how in some cases the world has remained un- 
changed since his time, or has greatly changed in others, we may 
have given what some of you consider immaterial. But we have 
tried to do our best throughout, and we offer you our thanks tor 
the approval indicated by your continued presence at these 
gatherings, and the attention which has been accorded from tne 
commencement to the close of each meeting." 

As Fred took his seat, there was a unanimous clapping of 
hands through the room, and some of the younger members of 
the Society emphasized the applause by a vigorous use of their 
feet on the floor. At a hint from the doctor one of the young 
ladies moved a vote of thanks to Frank and Fred ; it was 
seconded by a dozen voices at once, and carried unanimously, 
with more and more applause. 

Several subjects were then proposed for future readings, and 
it was finally agreed to leave the selection to Frank and Fred. 
The young gentlemen accepted the responsibility thus placed 
upon them, and said they would carefully consider the matter, 
and report at the opening of the next meeting. It was then 
voted that the meeting would adjourn, as soon as Frank had 
read the final paragraph of Polo's narrative, and there being no 
further business, he proceeded with the 

CONCLUSION. 

And now ye have heard all that we can tell you about the Tartars and 
the Saracens and their customs, and likewise about the other countries of 
the world as far as our researches and information extend. Only we have 
said nothing whatever about the Greater Sea and the provinces that 
lie round it, although we know it thoroughly. But it seems to me a 
needless and useless task to speak about places which are visited by 
people every day. For there are so many who sail all about that sea 
constantly, Venetians and Genoese, and Pisans, and many others, that 



530 



THE TRA VELS OF MARCO POLO. 



everybody knows all about it, and that is the reason that I pass it over 
and say nothing of it. 

Of the manner in which we took our departure from the Court of the 
Great Kaan you have heard at the beginning of the Book, in that chapter 
where we told you of all the vexation and trouble that Messer Maffeo 
and Messer Nicolo and Messer Marco had about getting the Great Kaan's 
leave to go ; and in the same chapter is related the lucky chance that led 
to our departure. And you may be sure that but for that lucky chance, 




Asiatic Warriors of Polo's Time. 

we should never have got away in spite of all our trouble, and never have 
got back to our country again. But I believe it was God's pleasure that 
we should get back in order that people might learn about the things that 
the world contains. For according to what has been said in the introduc- 
tion at the beginning of the Book, there never was a man, be he Christian 
or Saracen, or Tartar or Heathen, who ever travelled over so much of the 
world as did that noble and illustrious citizen of the City of Venice, 
Messer Marco, the son of Messer Nicolo Polo. 



THE END, 



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